On Tuesday 28th of November 2023, the HSE Disability Services in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo (CH CDLMS) hosted “Our Voice Our Choice” a Self Advocacy event, in collaboration with Inclusion Ireland in Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey, Donegal.
Attendees at the event included Self Advocates, persons accessing disability services, key workers, staff from Disability Services, staff from other support services and senior managers.
“Our Voice Our Choice” showcased presentations from various Self Advocates and their support staff which demonstrated the importance of self advocacy in fostering autonomy, respect and mutual support to ensure disabled people are empowered in decision making. The exemplary and thought provoking presentations also demonstrated new ways of working and thinking outside the box, finding a way forward when the path is not clear.
Self Advocacy is about understanding one’s rights, speaking up, taking action and taking control of one’s life. It is about communicating and representing one’s needs, views or interests.
This event also launched the Self Advocacy Strategy for CH CDLMS by Edel Quinn, Head of Service for Disability Services in CH CDLMS. The strategy details a model of Self Advocacy and describes a framework for building and fostering a positive culture that enables the participation in planning and decision making of disabled adults using Disability Services in the CH CDLMS area. A Self Advocacy Learning Event held last year on the 1st of December 2022 identified disabled people face barriers in self advocating for themselves. The Self Advocacy Strategy considers these barriers and sets out future direction for enabling the participation of adults with disabilities in decision making through effective Self Advocacy.
The Self Advocacy Strategy outlines the priorities, intended outcomes and high-level actions needed. The strategy is supported by an Implementation Plan to support the delivery of the Self Advocacy Strategy in the CH CDLMS Disability Services.
In a recent consultation with Self Advocates during the development of the Self Advocacy Strategy, some of the self advocates said: “Human Rights are an important part of Self Advocacy and it is important to talk about them because sometimes we feel equal but there are times when we feel that we are not equal.” Some of the Self Advocates spoke about the benefits of Advocacy Groups that they are currently involved in where people listen to what one has to say.
Head of Disability Services for CH CDLMS, Edel Quinn, provided an overview of current work and what is needed for the future in implementing the Self Advocacy Strategy stating “We have heard what people using disability services had to say and today marks an important stage of our journey, a process that began over a year ago with a commitment to deliver a strategic plan which will support and promote self-advocacy. The Self Advocacy Strategy is a three-year plan (2023 – 2026) developed in line with future requirements across the Disability Services in CH CDLMS. A detailed implementation plan, in line with resource allocation, will be mapped out to support the delivery of this strategy. Self advocacy is core to ensuring that we hear the voices of people with disabilities when planning and developing services in order to deliver the best services possible”
Last updated on: 28 / 11 / 2023
