The Self-Advocacy Network is a group of about 30 members (18 active) who organized a self-advcocacy group for the Springfield - Westfield area (Massachusetts, USA).

We can be reached in two ways:

e-mail:SAN@AOL.com

or through our advisor, Leslie Lewis

LRLewis@javanet.com

phone: 413-536-2401 x3026

Our snail mail address is:

Self-Advocacy Network c/o STCC 1 Armory Square Springfield, MA 01009

Our goals for 1997 are:

1) Helping each other to ADVOCATE! This means advocating for ourselves (getting good jobs, living where and how we want, etc.)and supporting each other to do this; insisting on more control of our lives; writing letters on behalf of group members and other people who need our help; listening; teamwork; giving advice.

2) Being involved in the community and helping community members and organizations This means that individuals can volunteer or join community groups on their own. It also means fundraising or volunteering as a group to help local community groups, charities, and people who are still living in institutions.

3) Organizing the second annual self-advocacy conference This means working with other self-advocacy groups in the w. Massachusetts region to plan another conference for next fall.

4) Closing Institutions This means lobbying legislators about the issue, writing letters to the president, vice-president, the Governors Commission on Mental Retardation, Governor Weld, etc., linking up with other groups who also want to close institutions, holding a rally at the State House, getting a story written in the newspaper, visiting people in the institutions and developing relationships with them, inviting people to visit us and taking them around the community (setting up a buddy system), helping them to find jobs, etc.

5) Political Advocacy This means learning what the issues that affect us are and why our voices should be heard; finding out who our legislators are and how to contact them; inviting someone to come and talk to us about the political process.