Tell Your Self-Direction Story
As the family members and advocates of those who rely on Self-Direction, we know the importance of protecting the constitutional right of people with disabilities to live in communities on their own terms with the services they choose. However, many people — our state representatives, OPWDD leadership, the public at large — don’t share our personal understanding of
the transformative power of Self-Direction.
To help spread the word, we’re asking you to share your Self-Direction experiences.
With a quick video, perhaps as short as one minute, you can tell people about the positive impact Self-Direction on your loved one’s life, or your own. Our main focus is on letting people know about the wonderful results possible with Self-Direction, using the power of personal stories. We were inspired to start this campaign by Jim Karpe’s recent experience:
“I had an appointment with the staff of my daughter’s State Senator. They had done some research, and proudly told me that they knew I was coming to reinforce my complaints about Self-Direction. And in that moment, I realized that I had done a good job of telling people about problems, but had skipped over the center of the story: With Self-Direction, my son and daughter have meaningful and dignified lives, which they control.
”Yes, there is a lot of BS, and lots of work to do to improve Self-Direction, especially providing the supports they will need to sustain their lives after I am gone. I will continue to speak out about those things. However, going forward I am going to make sure that I first educate people about why SD matters, about the extraordinary results that are achieved through SD. “
You are already an expert on your life— and we can help coach you through the process of refining your story. Just ask for an appointment using the form below.
Optionally, your story can also include
testimony or footage from the person whose rights you’re fighting to protect
your experiences navigating the Self-Direction process,
the need to end the policies that prevent the free exercise of choice.
Below you’ll find some examples and a short form to fill out with next steps. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Submit your story here or sign up to record it with us!
Need some inspiration? Check out these clips from Jim and Diane, where they share stories of the benefits Self-Direction has brought to their loved ones. You can model your video off of their examples or take a new approach — create what feels true to you!