The Latest from Seen and Heard: IDD Community

We had a great month. We shared two videos and some great resources.

Young woman with dark hair.

We shared these incredible videos:

Finding Romance

  • Brandy talked about relationships.
  • She shared about confusing friendship and romantic feelings.

Close Friendships

  • Brandy talks about friendships.
  • She talks about the grief of losing a friend.

We also shared some great resources about consent from the World Sexual Health Day. https://worldsexualhealthday.org/resources/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

#SelfAdvocates #txcdd #Romance #Friendship #IDD

The Latest from Seen and Heard: IDD Community

We are ending the summer with some great work . We posted 1 video, introduced another member of our Advisory Team and shared some fun from a conference.

We shared this great video:

Friendship and Safety

  • Paz talked about how finding support makes you feel safe.
  • They discuss the people who support them.

We introduced another member of our Advisory team, Kelsey Cowley. Cindy and James presented at the National Adult Protective Services Association Conference. They also got to see their two favorite baseball teams play against each other.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

#SelfAdvocates #txcdd #Safety #IDD #Baseball

Learn with us at NAPSA in Boston!

James Meadours and Cynthia Burrow will present at the National Adult Protective Services Association annual convention this week. Their session is about making sure self-advocates have a place at the table for projects about their lives. They will share ideas and tools to make that easier to do. Join us:

Wednesday, 8/28/23
1:15 – 2:15 PM
Level 3, Abstract Room

Success at the Texas Advocates Conference!

Team members taught self-advocates from across Texas about getting paid to work on projects. Over 25 people played a game we created called “Know Your Worth!” This fun and fast game teaches that people’s work is valuable. They should be paid for it. But it’s important to be careful if you get benefits like SSI and SSDI.

People with all abilities joined in. Some used their hands to slap card matches. Some used their voices to shout out key words. By the end, everyone was a winner and took home a prize. They also took home new knowledge about working on projects for pay.

People had so much fun, they asked for copies of the game. Stay tuned and tell your friends and colleagues to sign up for our mailing list. We will share it there for free in the next couple of months!

The Latest from Seen and Heard: IDD Community

We are having a very busy summer. We posted 2 videos and introduced more of our Advisory Team.

A drawing of a young person illustrated by the self-advocate.

Myths about Gender Identity

  • Paz talks about gender identity.
  • They discuss myths about people with IDD and gender identity.

Understanding Gender Identity

  • Paz talks about being misgendered.
  • They talk about how art can help to explore gender identity.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

#SelfAdvocates #txcdd #Safety #IDD  #Neurodiversity

Connect with Us in Texas!

The Participatory Action Research Team is heading to Denton. We will be presenting at the Texas Advocates Conference Saturday, 7/29.

We will host a card tournament with lots of prizes. Players will also learn about working on projects for pay. They’ll learn:

  • People with IDD should work on projects about their lives.
  • Their lived experience has great value.
  • They should be paid for their work.
  • They can be careful about working while receiving benefits.

To learn more about the conference, check out the Texas Advocates website. Come by our exhibit table. Come to our presentation. Or catch us in between!

Meet the PAR Team!

PAR stands for Participatory Action Research. That just means that people with IDD should be part of projects about them. We have some amazing folks on our teams!

Over the next 3 years, we will:

  • Create a visual vocabulary list. It will use plain language and pictures. It will help researchers and people with IDD work together more easily.
  • Create free training for people with IDD. They will learn about getting paid to work on projects.
  • Create tools for researchers. These will include graphic organizers, support checklists, surveys, and more.
  • Connect people with IDD to projects. We want many self-advocates working on projects about their lives. We want organizations to hire them.

Join our mailing list by filling out the form on the right. You’ll get updates about our work.

The Latest from Seen and Heard: IDD Community

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

#SelfAdvocates #txcdd #Safety #IDD  #Neurodiversity

We have had another amazing month. We posted one video and shared some great resources.

Staying Safe

  • James talks about ways to get help.
  • He tells us about tips to stay safe.

We also shared:

  • The National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence that talks about how all people should have access to help after violence.
  • James Meadours and Leigh Anne McKingsley share a video about how to avoid violence and abuse.
  • We started to introduce our Advisory Team.

New Virtual Peer Support Videos

We’ve posted two new videos to our YouTube channel. Check out our Virtual Peer Support playlist. Our peer support specialists talk about:

  • Independent Living Skills
  • Living in Your Own Place

You’ll learn how these things can help you build the life you want. You’ll learn how to get services in Texas. Most of all, you’ll be inspired by our team’s stories!

While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our channel. That way, you’ll be the first to see new videos.

Special thanks to Cara Weber, Shelbi Davenport, James Meadours, Anand Iyer, and Charlotte Garrison-Tate!

The Latest from Seen and Heard: IDD Community

We’ve been hard at work this month! We posted 3 new videos. 

Logan talking about flirting

This month we learned about:

When Flirting Fails

  • Our ally, Logan, shares about a bad situation with flirting.
  • He talks about what happens to his friendship after his mistake.  

Language of Love

  • Lisa talks about her relationship.
  • Lisa tells us about the value of communicating.

Boundaries

  • James talks about a recent sexual assault in the news.
  • He talks about the importance of boundaries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

#IDD  #Neurodiversity #SelfAdvocates #txcdd #Flirting #Boundaries