Self-Advocates are social beings with unique sets of abilities, functionality, and potentials. Our lives have dignity, value and purpose. We are whole and complete beings. We share the basic wants, needs, and hopes as every one else.

We are full members of community with rights of affiliation ( to have relationships of our choice), influence ( we have free choice the right to exercise our free will in our our own lives and have voice in the decisions the community makes), and participation ( we have to right to engage in just, meaningful, and compensated employment, to be full consumers in the market place, to travel in and about our community, and to have access to healthcare and education.)

We have the right to support services delivered by trained, professionals to assist us live to our potential with the highest degree of independence.

We have the right to be treated with compassion, tolerance, understanding, and acceptane. We don’t want pity or for others to feel sorry for us. Our lives are not tragic. This is demeaning. We are not demunitives or perpitual children. We want to be allowed the dignity of risk to learn from our experience to live out and express our dreams. We have rights and desire to exercise those rights with responsibility.