Iowans with Disabilities
Exercising Advocacy Skills

IDEAS is a self-advocacy training program for:

Adults with disabilities of all types
Junior and senior high school students with disabilities
Families of children with disabilities

IDEAS also works to improve Iowa's service system by advocating for needed changes in public policy.

SELF-ADVOCACY TRAINING

IDEAS self-advocacy training deals with:

Basic Self-Advocacy

• Defining self-advocacy
• Effective communication
• Rights and responsibilities
• Decision-making
• Goal-setting
• Peer support

Basic Service Information

Fact sheets on many Iowa disability-related services
The structure of the Iowa service delivery system
Tips for exercising rights to obtain services

Basic Systems Change Advocacy

Information about government structure
Suggestions for changing public policy
Ideas for leadership opportunities

Participants learn through:

• Audiovisual presentations
• Group discussion
• Homework
• Lectures
• Role-playing

We also provide training especially for junior high and high school students with disabilities. IDEAS staff work with classroom teachers to lead discussions of:

• Disability Awareness
• Assertiveness
• Decision-making
• Participation in the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) process

We also offer training for families of children with disabilities. We talk with families about the importance of participating in decisions about their child's services, explain their basic rights and responsibilities, offer some advocacy tools, help them identify goals and action steps, and encourage them to get to know one another.

Through IDEAS, individuals learn to:

• Exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens
• Advocate for change in many different kinds of situations
• Participate as valued members of their communities

SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT

The IDEAS program works to improve Iowa's service system by advocating for needed changes in public policy affecting people with disabilities and their families. The program director is actively working with a coalition whose goal is the creation of a statewide program of personal assistance services, and he is also providing leadership to the development of a statewide, grass-roots advocacy organization.

To learn more about IDEAS, please contact:

Mike Hoenig
IDEAS - Room 140A CDD
100 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242-1011
319-353-6448
319-356-8284 (Fax)
michael-hoenig@uiowa.edu