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Advocacy and Systems Change Activities
Public
Education and Information activities
include the provision of accurate
information about mental retardation and the
value and capacities of persons with mental
retardation; the proactive presentation of issues
of importance to individuals with mental retardation
and their families to the general community,
policy and decision makers, and professionals
and service providers in the field; and the
provision of training, workshops, and seminars
by knowledgeable parents, professionals, and
volunteers.
Client/Family
Advocacy activities include active
intervention with or on behalf of individuals
with mental retardation and/or their families
as they seek solutions to their individual needs
or deal with unresponsive systems within the
community. In some cases advocacy efforts are
done on an individual basis; however, it is
more often done on a group or class advocacy
basis. The desired outcome of this work is to
assist service systems become more responsive
to the needs of individuals with disabilities.
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