Questions? Email Tara Wickey at: tara.advocacy@gmail.com.

• I have been hard at work planning some leadership training for self-advocates and advisors, which will take place this fall.  We plan to have two sessions.  I’ll get more information out to you as soon as we finalize a venue.  We had a great board meeting on the 14^th of June and got a lot of great feedback on our outline for the event.  Thanks everybody!
• We had a new group join the Alliance! Please join me in welcoming Friends Helping Friends Action Club! They are from Beardstown, IL.
• Here’s what the local groups have been up to:
  • Speak out of Rock Island is still working to get a bus shelter put back up.
  • People First of Illinois Valley is planning a baked good or candy sale fundraiser. 
  • CAPS is doing some volunteer work with Meals on Wheels and planting flowers. 
  • People First of Illinois is working on the R-word campaign, and they recently started their own facebook group, so be sure to check that out!  Here’s a link:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_158575046229
  • The Self-Advocates of Lake County are planning an event about raising awareness on disability, but they are having a hard time finding a venue.  If anyone has any thoughts about places they could try, be sure to contact me and I’ll pass it on.
  • If you have an update on your group, please let me know! You can reach me at hottwheelz702@yahoo.com or call me on my cell phone at (815) 228-9829.

State Action Update – Terah Green

• Its My Life its My Direction Rally 2011 – Most of you know about the awesome rally we had on June 15^th 2011 at the Double Tree Hotel in Bloomington, Illinois. There were close to 400 people that attended this rally to show their support for self-direction. During this rally we played a game, did a lot of skits, and made a big beautiful sunburst that showed how every self-advocacy group and other supporters can work together to make self-direction happen. This event was amazing and it showed that everyone wanted a change and wanted to make their life better. I hope that everyone who came enjoyed it and learned a lot! A big thank you to everyone that helped pull this event together. We will have more information and pictures in the Summer newsletter.
• The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities approved a grant to hire consultants to work on putting self-direction in the waiver! We are still figuring out the details and will know more in July.

State Action Update by Terah Green
The Self-Direction team has been meeting with Lilia Teninty and Reta Hoskins (who will be the interim Director when Lilia leaves) from the Division on Developmental Disabilities about including self-direction in the updated waiver. The state has to renew its adult waiver by June 2012. We are working to get a consultant who can help with writing the waiver.

We have also been talking with supporters about signing on for self-direction. So far, the Arc of Illinois, Institute on Public Policy, and Access Living have signed on! Please let me know if there are advocacy groups or providers who would be interested in learning more.

We have also been working on the June 15th rally. The rally will be in Bloomington, Illinois from 10-2:30. The morning will focus on teaching self-advocates about self-direction. We will have supporters sign on in the afternoon.

Feel free to contact me if you want more information: terahgreen@rocketmail.com

Local Group Update by Megan Norlin
We are working on a Local Groups Manual which will be full of activities for you all to use in your meetings. These activities include everything from disability awareness games to party planning and fundraising ideas. It will also include basic information about what it takes to get a group started.  If you have any ideas about what should be included, please feel free to contact me at hottwheelz702@yahoo.com.

We are also working on the next Call to Action project which is due to come out at the end of April with the Alliance newsletter.

But I think the important question is, what have you guys been up to?
•       I’ve been hearing that a few of the groups have been participating in the Local Groups Call to Action Accessibility Assessment.  Can’t wait to see those reports!  (If any of you would still like to participate, feel free to call or contact me for more information).
•       People 1st of the Illinois Valley had its annual dinner and a state representative came.
•       The self-advocates at the Ottawa Friendship House have been hard at work on their own handbook.
•       Advocates for Change has doubled in size over the last couple of months!
•       The Network held a fundraiser dance on the first of April.
•       Speak Out of Rock Island is working hard to improve accessibility for their members and the people of their city by petitioning to get the city to replaced a bus stop that had been removed and was widely used by their members,  They also fought hard when the blizzards hit to make sure the sidewalks stayed clear.

Does your self-advocacy group have news to report? Please let me know what’s going on at: hottwheelz702@yahoo.com.

Our Principles

• We deserve to run our own lives
• We deserve to be  respected
• We have our own opinions
• We need your trust
• We are there for you
• We deserve to be treated with kindness
• We have the right  to choose what we want to do in the community

Amy Sadnck and the rest People First of Illinois Valley are preparing for their membership dinner. The purpose of the dinner is to reflect on what the group did last year and also to introduce what they hope to achieve this year. People can also sign up to join this advocacy group at the dinner.  This group, was made up of and run by people with disabilities, has shared their accomplishments with us. These are:

• Sponsored workshops to educate  people with disabilities and their families on self-advocacy issues
• Attended state-wide rally to advocate for choice and a greater voice of people with disabilities in selecting services an supports;
• Met with their State Representative to advocate for new legislation that would increase respect for people with disabilities;P
• Presented a PowerPoint training program on self-advocacy to graduating students at a transition fair
• Given cash rewards to people who speak-up-and-speak-out as self advocates;
• Requested a voters education project at Horizon Industries and supported members in voting;
• Raised over $1,000.00 for self-advocacy training and formed a new fund raising commitee to enable them to expand self-advocacy efforts
• Had a pizza party for members

WOW this group has lived up to its Purpose Statement. “We are here to learn to speak up for ourselves. That is what a self advocate does. We will also help people with disabilities.” So if your in the Illinois Valley on the evening of Monday January 24th, 2011 stop by and find out what this amazing chapter of People First is all about11

Keep us the fantastic work!  Remember if another group has any thing to share, please e-0mail us and we will put it on the website!

The Alliance finished making changes at the conference.  The board of directors had their first meeting on Wednesday evening.  They elected officers and voted on other items.  Thursday’s Alliance presentation was the last time that the Leadership Team presented as a group.  It was cool to see how the leadership team and the new board worked together on the presentation.

Thanks to all who helped put SUSO together.  People are already looking forward to next year!

Advocates triumph at “It’s My LIFE Rally”

By Jen Knapp, LifeMyWay Contributor and Lead Organizer of The Alliance

More than 300 self-advocates gathered in Bloomington, Illinois for the “It’s My LIFE” rally on August 31!

Sponsored by the Illinois Self-Advocacy Alliance (“The Alliance”) the event drew self-advocates from all over Illinois who wanted to let the state know they want self-directed supports.

“Self-direction means we are the boss of our lives! We have our own budget based on our needs. We choose the services we get. We have a “support broker” to help us,” said Courtney Buchanan, a self-advocate from Rock Island.

One of the morning’s highlights was a skit comparing self-direction to the current system. Alton residents Scott Zaken and Michelle Spurlock, Lynn Heath of Decatur and Tia Nelis of Chicago acted out scenes from a workshop and group home, and then compared them to scenes from a person’s own job and apartment. The audience made their voices heard, booing the current system in unison and shouting “Yeah” for self-direction.

Music to their ears

Eight self-advocacy groups also shared their talents on the theme of “It’s My LIFE”. Speak Out of Rock Island sang “Change”, while Ray of Hope Self-Advocates sang “I Believe I Can Fly.” Sertoma United spray painted over a discrimination sign. The Monticello Sages shared what I-T-S M-Y L-I-F-E means to them. A group from Beardstown sang about how their names are not Willi (the name of the diagnosis). Advocates for Change sang an original song called “It’s My LIFE”. Changes to Independence Altogether (CIA) read a poem, and DSC Self-Advocates acted out a skit about self-direction. Everyone performed wonderfully!

Rally for Change

Everything came together in the afternoon when Lilia Teninty, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, showed up to hear what the self-advocates had to say. Mary Suggs, a self-advocate from Alton, introduced the 8 foot tall LIFE display.

“This spring, we went to 10 places across Illinois and learned about self-directed supports through an activity where we could buy different services with our money,” she said. ”In the afternoon we made squares and shared our stories of what we want for our lives. The squares represent what we want. We put all the squares together to spell the word LIFE because it represents our life!”

Sonia Reyes, a self-advocate from Joliet, then shared with Lilia why self-direction is so important to self-advocates.

“Self-directed supports means that you decide yourself what you want and need. It means that you are in control,” she said. ”We want this because it’s our life - I want to be in control of my life. I want to be like my friends and family. They get to be independent and responsible, and I would like to be more independent and be more responsible.”

Each self-advocacy group then demonstrated their support of self-direction. Beth Davis, a self-advocate from Alton, asked Lilia to sign a giant agreement declaring her agreement to help self-advocates in Illinois get Self-Directed Supports.

Their efforts and advocacy were successful – Lilia signed the agreement! Then the whole group went outside to release balloons, signaling the start of the movement for self-direction in Illinois.