AD·VO·CATE
(verb) to support an idea, need, person, or group; to fight for something or someone, especially the rights of others.
Advocacy is a core part of what Easterseals does. Whether it is advocating for the people we support, our essential staff, or the disability community as a whole. But we don’t just advocate for people, we empower them to become advocates for themselves and for others.
On March 1, 2023, the Kansas City Individual Engagement Committee (IEC), a committee made up of people with disabilities supported by Easterseals, traveled to Jefferson City to participate in Disability Rights Legislative Day. The committee is part of Easterseals’ core belief that the people we support should have a voice in the programs we provide and how our organization is run.
“You know being here today is just an amazing opportunity to give to the individuals we support,” Abbie Whitney, Director of Community Services, said. ”It allows them to see advocacy in action, for them to be their own advocate rather than being advocated for, and just allowing them to see that their voice matters.”
Easterseals’ IEC members spent their day advocating for numerous initiatives, including their right to work, voting rights and accessibility, and essential funding for the people who support them every day, Easterseals’ staff.
“I want to help people with disabilities, of course, but I really want to help the staff out,” AJ Olivarez, a member of the IEC, said.
The day included government speakers, rallies, and an inside look at the Capital.
“You matter, because the unique differences that we all have make us better – make us better as a state, make us better as a society, make us better as a people,” Missouri State Senator Lincoln Hough told the crowd. “And the more that we remember that the more we will trust that those differences actually make us stronger, the better off we will all be.”
This legislative day was just one of the many ways Easterseals is advocating for and with the people we support.
“It's been really powerful and empowering to see,” Whitney said.