Advocacy

Advocacy Activities and Opportunities

Disability advocates in Michigan have made major improvements in the state's long-term care system in recent years. A Single Point of Entry system has been put into place, so that people needing long-term care services, like personal assistance, can learn about their options and make informed choices. There are a variety of funding sources to help people who need personal assistance. These include the Michigan Department of Human Services Home Help Program, the MIChoice Medicaid waiver program, and Developmental Disabilities Services, to name a few sources. Person Centered Planning, a method to ensure that individuals have a central role in planning their services, is becoming more available to individuals needing long-term care as well. Programs are beginning to more fully implement the principles of Self-Determination, whereby people with disabilities and elders needing support services have a primary voice in where, how, and when they receive their services. To access the Single Point of Entry system, visit Michigan Long-Term-Care Connections at http://www.milongtermcare.org/.

Even with this positive progress, more work is needed on both state and national levels. The following links provide you with opportunities to be involved in the advocacy process. Please join with those of us at Partners in Personal Assistance who are already involved in advocacy activities. Your voice and your opinions are desperately needed.
Link: http://www.milongtermcare.org

Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC)

A state-wide network of individuals and organizations that advances the issues of Michigan's disability community through grassroots activism, public education and advocacy.
Link: http://www.copower.org/mdrc/MDRC.htm

Communities of Power

"an invitation to you to participate in making our communities accessible, integrated, and supportive - to make full citizenship for seniors and people with disabilities an expectation, not a goal". The Communities of Power website contains resources not only on long-term care, but also on assistive technology, affordable accessible housing, Michigan disability community history, and disability leadership.
Link: http://www.copower.org

The Michigan Community Consortium

"The Consortium provides technical assistance, resources, educational opportunities, community organizing, and collaboration tools to those who want to work to change Michigan's LTC [long-term-care] system to one where consumer choice is the top priority."

Link: http://www.copower.org/mfp/index2.php

Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living (AACIL)

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are nonprofit organizations dedicated to quality of life for people with disabilities. They provide services in the five core areas of advocacy, independent living skills training, peer support, information and referral, and nursing home transition. Every year, CILs help numerous people with disabilities move out of nursing homes and other institutions into homes and apartments of their own choosing. To get involved in advocacy at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, contact Carolyn Grawi, Director of Advocacy and Education at cgrawi@aacil.org.
Link: http://www.aacil.org

ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today)

ADAPT is a grassroots organization working diligently on systems change so that the thousands of people with disabilities currently stuck in nursing homes or other institutions with no alternatives will be able to live in the communities of their choice, and receive community-based personal assistance and other needed supports. ADAPT uses a combination of peaceful negotiation and direct action in an effort to communicate with legislators and public administrators to convince them to accomplish the needed systems changes. The Michigan contact people for ADAPT are Scott Heinzman (phone: 734-462-2423, fax: 734-432-2624, e-mail: sheinzman@twmi.rr.com) and Verna Spayth (phone: 734-327-4667, e-mail: verna@adaptmi.com).
Link: http://www.adapt.org

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

Well-known disability rights advocate Justin Dart said, "AAPD gives us the opportunity for harmonious unity and will help create the strong voice needed to overcome thousands of years of attitudinal and physical barriers." AAPD is a nonprofit membership organization that provides an e-mail listserv and blog both entitled, "Justice For All", as well as projects in the areas of accessible voting, disability leadership, technology, and spiritual and religious access.

These are just a few of the organizations dedicated to improving quality of life for people with disabilities. These links give you a place to start your search for those opportunities that best match your interests and abilities in the broad area of disability rights advocacy. Start educating yourself today and find a place to make your voice heard in the Disability Rights Movement!

Link: http://www.aapd-dc.org

Disabled couple deals with struggles

Please click the link below to download a PDF version of the story that was originally printed in the Ann Arbor News.
Attachment: article6152009.pdf

RICC Announces Leadership Workshop

Attachment: RICCAnnouncesLeadershipWorkshop7.2.14.docx