Title:

Speaking Up For Us Legislative Toolkit

Submission Type: Poster Submission Category: Social Sciences and Humanities Author(s): Cynthia Cushing Graduate Student Presentation Faculty Mentor: Susan Russell Abstract: Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is an advocacy group for adults who live with developmental disabilities (IDD). Established in 1993, SUFU has been helping people with IDD provide a voice for their needs in Maine for over 30 years. SUFU’s vision is to promote people living with IDD as valued. Inclusion in Maine’s legislative events is an important part of SUFU’s mission, which is to empower people with IDD to speak up and take action to improve their lives through education, advocacy, and leadership skills. Despite SUFUs long-standing existence in Maine, the drive to incorporate new members, and to empower current members with a voice in the legislature continues to be difficult. This project provides SUFU members with a Legislative Toolkit that they can use as a “how to” for important steps they can take to share with their legislators what is important to them, and what is needed for them to be able to live as independently as possible. The Legislative Toolkit utilizes a format which can be printed as a book and promoted through the SUFU website via links and videos to provide all members of SUFU with information and guidance around: voting rights and importance; talking with one’s legislator; requesting a bill be created; responding to current issues with live and written testimony when appropriate; and many other important aspects of being an advocate for people with IDD.

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