The attached file is a PDF copy of our basic handbook on self-advocacy.

Welcome to Making Your Case, a self-study course designed to help people with developmental disabilities and their families create positive change through advocacy.

This course has been created to give you the critical skills you need to make a difference through advocacy. When you complete this course, you will be able to:

• Tell your story in writing and in person;   
• Identify the policymakers who can help bring about the changes you need;   
• Write effective letters and e-mails;   
• Conduct productive meetings with policymakers;   
• Give effective testimony and answer questions; and   
• Organize with others to tackle community issues.
  

Welcome to Partners in Living, a self-study course created to help people with developmental disabilities, their family and friends explore four important elements that, together, can help them create a meaningful life: Self-Determination, Family Support, Community Living and Assistive Technology.

In this course, you will decide what is meaningful to you and learn about:

What is CDO?

CDO is a new option that is being offered for Kentucky Medicaid Waiver members who are currently receiving or become eligible to receive Home and Community Based waiver (HCB) services through Kentucky's Medicaid Waiver program.  CDO allow waiver members to choose who provides their non-medical waiver services which allows them greater freedom of choice, flexibility, and control over their supports and services.  Members can choose to direct all or some of their non-medical waiver services. 

About CSD

The Center for Self-Determination  is a highly interactive working collaboration of individuals and organizations committed to the principles of self-determination to help all persons create the lives they want, connected to and with their communities and pursuing long term relationships and economic futures.

Mark Torres of Indiana ADAPT has made a great mini-video about ADAPT. Great scenes of actions, lots of folks sharing their ideas. Great combination of photos, action, chants, signs, narrative and interview.

Check it out. And while you are there, vote for this video.  A vote for it is a vote for greater exposure of our issue, and Mark did a great job!

ADAPT is a national organization that has fought for decades for the rights of disabled people. This includes protesting Greyhound to put lifts on busses, congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and now they continue to fight. Right now ADAPT is fighting for the money that is spent to keep people in nursing homes to follow the person into society. Real voices, Real Choices.

P&A has developed a fill-in-the-blank form to help you develop your Advance Directive for Mental Health Treatment.

Advance Directive Form—in Word format

Advance Directive Form—in PDF format

Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment

What is an advance directive for mental health treatment?

Many people who have mental illnesses are concerned that, at some point in
their lives, they might be subjected to psychiatric treatment that they don’t
want. Now Kentuckians can prepare a legal document in advance to express their
choices about treatment. House Bill 99, which the Kentucky General Assembly
passed in the 2003 legislative session, created the advance directive for mental
health treatment.

What instructions can I give?

The advance directive is a written, legally binding document that expresses
a person’s wishes about accepting or refusing mental health treatment.
For example, people with advance directives for mental health treatment can
tell their doctors in advance that they will not take specific psychotropic
medications. An advance directive might say beforehand that a person does not
want electric shock therapy. It can cover a person’s preferences for
psychotropic medications or preferences for emergency interventions before
a crisis occurs.

The Riot! is a newsletter for “self-advocates.” A self-advocate is somebody who has a disability and speaks up for themselves. Are you a self-advocate? If you are, then The Riot! is for YOU!

Louisville's grassroots advocacy group, working to make all of Louisville fully accessible, using the force of the ADA when necessary.