At AbilityFirst, involving participants in opportunities to shape, influence and contribute to their
program experience is encouraged. Maintaining and growing the person-centered programs tailored
to the individual interests and needs requires every voice to speak up.
Enter Social Advocates for Change, a Participant Advisory Council created for and by AbilityFirst
adult participants and dedicated to empowering individuals to self-advocate and elevate their own voices.
Advocates meets twice a month, every 2nd and 4th Thursday to discuss topics that are important to them
and for them, with a focus on developing leadership skills to represent their voice and the voices of their peers,
learning how to work and collaborate as a team and how to share with programs on changes and improvements
needed. The benefits of Social Advocates for Change are already proving to be enormously impactful. In addition to helping to grow together as a community, these adult participants are learning to become active decision makers in their own lives, in programs, and their communities. Another big step closer to realizing their goals of social and career independence and reaching their full potential.