Self-Advocacy…

to boldly go where
all have gone before

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• Betty Williams, President of SABE
• Max Barrows, Vice-President of SABE
• Chester Finn, Past President and Mentor to
the SABE Board
• Nicole LeBlanc, Disability Educator &
Member of SABE Autism Now Team
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 SABE
Self Advocates Becoming Empowered.
The United State's national self-
advocacy organization.  We are a
national board of regional
representatives and members from
every state in the US.
 To ensure that
people with
disabilities are
treated as equals and that they are
given the same decisions, choices,
rights, responsibilities, and chances
to speak up to empower
themselves; opportunities to make
new friends; and to learn from their
mistakes.
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• What Is A Self-advocacy Group?
• All People Supported: Not Setting Up Separate
Systems For People With Certain Kinds Of
Disabilities
• SABE's Policy Statement Calling To Convert
Sheltered Workshops To Employment Services
And End Sub-minimum Wage.
• The Long Road Home …. Closing Institutions
• Accessible Meetings
• What It Really Means To Live In The Community
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 What Is A Self-advocacy Group?

ACT – Advocating For Change Together

is an excellent website for finding self-
advocacy tools
http://www.selfadvocacy.org/docs/ACT_QuickGui
de2008.pdf

Green Mountain Self-Advocates has a

free handbook we give to all local self-
advocacy groups to help them start and
run their groups.
http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_co
ntent&view=article&id=34&Itemid=41 7
Just Say No To Separate Systems
 SABE Policy Statement on Employment
SABE Calls for Ending Sub-Minimum Wage
in 2012
“We have been prepared enough. Get us
real jobs. Close sheltered workshops.”

To get a copy go to: http://sabeusa.org/?catid=179

For more information on converting sheltered workshops
to employment services go to:
http://www.apse.org/docs/APSE%20Subminimum%20Wage%20Policy
%20Statement%2010.09[1].pdf
http://www.vermontapse.org/vermonts_conversion_institute
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 People First of New
Hampshire has
made it their #1 goal
to help other states
close institutions
across the country.

For an excellent resource on how to take action to

close institutions go to:
http://www.institutionsclosethem.org/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?
id=100001420612762
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 Institutions : Close Them

A Chance to be Made Whole: People First

Members Being Friends to Tear Down
Institution Walls by People First of
Tennessee 1997
http://thechp.syr.edu/pl1st.htm

To read a report on issues that states may face

when closing institutions go to:
http://ici.umn.edu/products/prb/161/161.pdf
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 Accessible Meetings
People First Language: The Basics:  Information on
using respectful language created by SABE
http://www.aucd.org/docs/People%20First%20Language
%20Manual.pdf

Getting Your Message Across:

Communicating with People with
Intellectual Disabilities. This manual
is a reference guide on cognitive
accessibility.
http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=4
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Keeping The Promise: Self Advocates Defining
The Meaning Of Community Living
 
In September 2010, SABE, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, and the
National Youth Leadership Network convened a National Community
Living Summit of self-advocates with developmental and intellectual
disabilities. The Summit proceedings and interviews addressed three
specific questions:

1.What are three things that determine that a place or residential

program is not part of the community?
2.What are three things that determine that a place or program
where a person gets residential services is truly in the community?
3.What does Community Living really mean?
In February 2011 the report will be available at: www.sabeusa.org
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