Self-Advocate Central

June is Mental Health Awareness Month. Nothing is more important than taking care of ourselves and those we love.

• We shared a new video with James Meadours. He talked about his self-advocacy. James uses his advocacy as self-care.
• We shared a resource from the Arc of the United States about protecting Medicaid.
• Our self-advocate toolkits are now in Spanish. We are so excited to share resources for families and service providers. Check it out here: Toolkits in Spanish
• We shared mental health tips.

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#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MHAM #IDD #Neurodiversity #EnEspanol

April has been a hard month. We’ve been learning about Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We also talked about changes in the way survivors get support. We are dedicated to supporting survivors.

• We shared a new playlist on our YouTube channel. It is called Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We shared advice on prevention, reporting, and recovery.
• We learned that the Department of Justice had cut hundreds of grants. Many of which support sexual assault survivors.
• We shared a video about Pushing Boundaries. James shares about how small boundary crossings can lead to bigger problems.

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#SexualAssaultAwarenessMonth #SAAM #IDD #Neurodiversity

March has been another eventful month. We have been working hard to support our community.

We shared a new video.

Watching Out for False Friends

• James talks about how some friends are not what they seem. He tells us how to spot the fake ones.

We also shared some great resources.

• We celebrated World Down Syndrome Day. We shared resources from the Arc of the United States and an incredible playlist. Busting Myths About Down Syndrome
• We shared James Meadours Medicaid Waiver story.
• We celebrated Developmental Disability Awareness Month.

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#WorldDownSyndromeDay #FalseFriends #IDD #Medicaid #Neurodiversity

It has been a long and difficult month for many in our community. We are dedicated to remaining a safe place for everyone to share their stories.

We have shared so many incredible resources this month. Here are just a few:

• PFLAG has a class on Social Media Safety. It teaches how to share your story safely. PFLAG
• We celebrated Black History Month. We focused on the actions of Black Self Advocates. Why Black Disabled History Matters, Black History Month Playlist
• We shared James Meadours story of 30 years of Independent Living. 30 Years of Independent Living
• We shared tips on how to support the Trans community. Trevor Project

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#BlackHistoryMonth #TransRights #IndependentLiving #IDD #Neurodiversity

Happy New Year! We hope you are having a great start to your year. We have been working very hard and will be bringing you new videos soon.

We have been sharing the voices of our friends.

We posted an inspiring blog about setting goals.

We shared about joining LinkedIn to meet other self-advocates.

We posted about AI helping those who use Braille.

We shared some ideas on how to get through the hard winter days.

We posted about changes to Medicaid.

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#NewYearNewMe #Medicaid #SetGoals #IDD #Neurodiversity

The year is almost over. We have worked very hard this year. We are so thankful for you. Let’s make next year great!

We shared two Spanish videos.

Myths About Attraction En Español

• Paz shares myths about attraction.
• Paz comparte mitos sobre la atracción.

Why Consent is Important En Español

• Paz talks about sexuality education.
• Paz habla sobre educación sexual.

We shared post from the Arc.

We shared our favorite part of the holiday season.

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#EnEspañol #SexualityEducation #EducaciónSexual #IDD #Neurodiversity

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We are ready to have a great end to the year. Check out all of the amazing things we have been working on.

We shared two Spanish videos.

No consent En Español

• Paz shares about a time they did not give consent.
• Paz comparte una experiencia en la que no dio su consentimiento.

Why Consent is Important En Español

• Paz shares about consent.
• Paz habla sobre el consentimiento.

We celebrated Trans Awareness Month..

We talked about making friends. Do you have any advice on making friends?

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#EnEspañol #Consent #Consentimiento#IDD #Neurodiversity

We hope you had an amazing October. Check out what we have been doing!

We shared:

Self Care

• James remembers feeling mad.
• He reminds us to be kind to ourselves.

Soulmates

• James talks about trying to find a soulmate.
• He talks about how it is scary to meet new people.

We celebrated World Mental Health Day. We also talked about autistic burnout.

We talked about learning from your mistakes. Did you ever learn something after a big mistake? We would love to hear your input.

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#Soulmates #SupportSystem #BeBrave #SelfCare #IDD #Neurodiversity

Fall is here! We are excited to share our latest videos with you!

We shared:

Looking back

• James has struggled to forgive his younger self for not reporting his assault.
• He shares things that helped him to heal.

Families Talking to Children

• James gives helpful advice to parents on how to support their kids.
• He shares ways to make them feel safe to speak up.

We talked about challenges. What do you struggle with that seems easy for others? We would love to hear your input.

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#Reporting #SelfAdvocacy #SafeSpace #SpeakUp #IDD #Neurodiversity

We have been working hard all summer. Did you see our new videos?

We shared:

Raising Awareness

• James explains why it is important to talk about sexual assault.
• He talks about how lawmakers can help.

Feeling Unsafe Without Consent

• Brandy shared about a friend who was touched without consent.

This month, for Wonder Wednesday, we are looking for your feedback. What have you learned from our Facebook page? We would love to hear your input.

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#Vote #IDD #SexualAssault #ConsentMatters #Respect #SpeakUp