Beyond Barriers: Advocacy and Empowerment at Disability Rights Legislative Day 2024

March was Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the contributions and achievements of people with developmental disabilities and to raise awareness of the barriers and challenges they face in their everyday lives. As you can imagine, eitas and the disability advocates that we convene and come alongside were in the thick of things! One of the ways we advocate for people with developmental disabilities is by organizing and facilitating their participation in events like the Disability Rights Legislative Day, which took place on March 13 in Jefferson City. The theme for this year’s Disability Rights Legislative Day was “We Are Here.” Keeping true to the theme, a group of self-advocates from Jackson County, members of the Kansas City Roo People First, showed up to meet with their elected representatives and share their stories, concerns and hopes.

Eitas’ Deputy Director of Operations Amanda George and Tracy Mauk and Amy Newport from the eitas Agency Relations team accompanied the group of self-advocates on their advocacy journey to Jefferson City. Alex Slagle, a People First advisor and program manager for Discovering Prospects, was also part of the group. In a post-event email thanking the organizers from eitas, Mr. Slagle crafted a verbal picture of the scene down at the Capitol, saying, “Looking out into the crowd of advocates was incredibly impactful and emotional for me. When we looked into that mass of advocates, our members were right there with everyone. They all got right in there and scattered around the rally in a true expression of inclusion.”

When it came to the appointments with their legislators, the individuals from People First were nervous but this did not keep them from speaking with honesty, courage and transparency. They had all prepared for the event by researching their representatives, practicing their speeches and choosing the topics that mattered most to them. Eitas staff and other allies were proud, humbled and inspired to witness how these individuals spoke their truth and had their voices heard and respected by the people who make decisions that affect their lives. During their appointments with legislators, they dove into topics like transportation, housing, wages, and guardianship. These are crucial issues that affect the quality of life and independence of people with disabilities.

For example, Shacara, who uses a wheelchair and is her own guardian, told Senator Mike Cierpiot about the challenges she faces with finding accessible and reliable transportation. She shared how she has missed work commitments because of the lack of transportation options that could safely transport her while she remained in her wheelchair—an issue of safety and dignity. She narrated a recent harrowing incident where she did everything right, going through the multiple-step reservation and follow-up calls to assure herself a ride, only to be told five minutes before her pick-up time that there were insufficient drivers for the type of vehicle that would be accessible to her. That day she had to call a family member for a ride, which impaired both her independence and personal dignity as she needed to be carried into the car.

Shacara advocated for herself and her community with transparency, telling Sen. Cierpoit,

 “People with developmental disabilities are in a small, little box and I’ve worked so hard to get myself out of that small, little, tiny box because people think I can’t do anything. But I’ve been on TV and I got a job at eitas. I’m trying to show people that even though I have a disability I can still and will do as much as I can for myself and be as independent as possible.”

At that point, Senator Cierpoit who had listened attentively and compassionately to Shacara’s story said, “You’re hard to say ‘no’ to,” acknowledging her powerful advocacy skills.

Another example was Josiah, who advocated for affordable and accessible housing before his representative, Ashley Bland Manlove. He explained how he had to move out of his sister’s house because she is having a baby and how he struggled to find a new place that met his needs and budget. He shared how people with disabilities are often the lowest paid and are getting priced out of the parts of the city that have the amenities and accessibility that are so crucial for them to live independently. Representative Bland Manlove thanked Josiah for his courage and his honesty.

While sharing concerns was a huge and necessary part of the event, building relationships is also a key goal for the individuals from People First. Darren, an individual who is supported by Blue Valley Industries, one of the funded agencies of eitas, met with Representative Richard Brown and told him his personal story. Rep. Brown sat with Darren for twenty minutes and was moved to tears by Darren’s story. Darren’s experience that day included the powerful experience of witnessing true Representation: a young Black man, Darren was able to leave the Capitol with a first-time experience of being heard by someone in power and getting to see himself reflected in one of his leaders. Mr. Slagle shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of this incident saying, “When I took Darren home last evening, his mom and aunt were waiting on their front porch for us. I could see that this was a life-changing event for Darren. In just that one instance, [eitas] helped make Darren’s story known and helped Darren realize what his voice can do.” Mr. Slagle highlighted other impactful moments, including Senator Greg Razer's attentive engagement with the group from Jackson County and how he spent a long time with various individuals, listening to their stories and concerns.

Disability Rights Legislative Day is just the beginning. In the near future, eitas hopes to continue the dialogue and facilitate further collaboration with legislators by inviting them to visit individuals at their workplaces, homes, and communities. For eitas, events like these are especially successful when they empower individuals to truly see that they can advocate for themselves, let them know that they have a voice, and use it to make a difference. Ms Mauk and Ms. Newport were visibly moved describing how they got to witness these goals come to fruition. “Very often, individuals have people speaking for them. Or even when they speak, people respond to their caregivers who are standing next to them,” shared Ms. Mauk. “That day at the Capitol was probably the first time many of our individuals had ever had to opportunity to speak directly to someone like a legislator, someone with power and authority.” Ms. Newport agreed, adding, “To be able to have their voices heard and really listened to … I definitely feel like was really life-changing for some of them and it will be something they will remember as long as they live.”