Advocacy for Success

In January of 2025, I met with leaders within the Arc of Northern Virginia. These leaders were colleagues and critical friends. There is mutual respect for the work they do in their roles and the work I have done as a public educator and advocate within the public school system. This relationship has been established for over ten years. So, when I approached them about starting a collective about self-advocacy that would focus on advocacy work and research, they openly welcomed me to attend their People First and Toastmaster meetings. I began attending these meetings, and then within months of attending their meetings I extended an invitation for an interest meeting for this self-advocacy group. All the members of Advocacy for Success are members of the Arc of Northern Virginia’s young adults’ group, People First. I also volunteer at these meetings. Advocacy for Success presented at one of People’s First’s meetings about self-advocacy. Being a part of the People First group, I hear what the Advocacy for Success members say about our group. In a recent meeting, one of the Advocacy for Success members identified himself as a member of our group in his introduction to the People First group. I realized the sense of belonging created within our Advocacy for Success and how that translates to confidence in other spaces. When the facilitator of the People First group, heard this testimony it prompted them to share more about our collective and encouraged people to attend. I would like to think that this partnership supports the work of one another. Advocacy for Success and the Arc of Northern Virginia work together to enhance the lives of people with ID/D in pursuit of equity and justice.  

Within my roles as a doctoral student and a public-school educator, I bring a partnership with George Mason University and the counties I have worked. As a doctoral student, I have access to professors who are experts in community-based participatory action research who can guide and provide feedback which I can bring to the collective. Feedback included how to provide choice to the collective, possible topics for discussion, and engaged in reflexive practices to guide action and reflection forward. Community based work is not linear and requires reflexivity with people familiar to the process to think through the processes to build a democratic process honoring the collective. Being a doctoral student connects me to research funding opportunities, access to calls for papers, and presentation opportunities that the collective can decide to lead. Additionally, within my role as a public-school educator, I have relationships with students, some of whom helped to establish the collective. My role within the public school system also provides possible opportunities to present and educate.