Advocacy is important and is essential to the quality of life of persons with developmental disabilities. It can take many forms, from the personal to the systems level.

At its most basic level, advocacy means:

Any person who wants to be a formal advocate should be trained and knowledgeable about the rights of people with disabilities and the concept of the dignity of risk. There are a number of organizations that can provide support and training for advocacy. The most well-known and well-respected are The ARC and American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD).

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Most people with a developmental disability are connected to a caregiver or organization. If you observe a person being mistreated or think a person is not being treated with respect and dignity, always say something. In severe cases—if you think someone is being harmed or severely neglected—call the police and make a report to the child abuse hotline of child protective services (CPS) at 1-800-800-5556 or adult protective services (APS) at 1-800-992-6978.

In cases where an individual is not being directly harmed but is not being treated with respect, it is always best to report the concerns to the connected organization or a respected community leader. When in doubt, always report to CPS or APS.

Want to learn more? We have training programs that can help you become a great advocate.