KELOWNA SELF-ADVOCATES

“People speaking for themselves”


WHO ARE THE KELOWNA SELF ADVOCATES?

The Kelowna Self Advocates are  people living in Kelowna, Winfield and Westbank, who have in our past lives lived in institutions, group homes, proprietary care and Pri-care facilities. Some self-advocates still live in these places, but many live in our own apartments and houses. Some have only ever lived in their parent’s homes and continue to live there.

Self-Advocates have formed a group in which they get together by our own choice. No one is forced to come to a meeting or is made to stay at a meeting if they choose not to be there.

Self-Advocates have all lived in situations where the decisions made in our lives were always made by other people, sometimes the self-advocate was not allowed to be a part of decision-making. Self-Advocates are people who have for different reasons been labeled as handicapped. We may have learning or physical disabilities or other unique differences and challenges.


WHY DO SELF-ADVOCATES GET TOGETHER TO HAVE MEETINGS?

The Kelowna Self Advocates get together to talk about problems we have, about how some of our problems are the same and about how they can be solved.

We talk about:

- How to make things better in our lives.

-Our Rights, Responsibilities and Abilities.  Watch the video!

  - Our goals and what we want for ourselves not what other people want for us.

We ask many questions and demand answers. We think for ourselves and make our own decisions and help people in the group to understand things that are said.

We talk about what it was like to be locked away for many years and how we must stand up and make ourselves heard and how to let the world know that we do not wish to be shut out any more.

We talk about the ugliness in our past and share feelings about these times to help look to our future and make it more beautiful.


SELF-ADVOCATES DO OTHER THINGS AS WELL!

At most of the self-advocate meetings we share many things, like reading The Voice, The WestCoast Reader, and Community Living News (these are all newsletters and newspapers written for people who have challenges). It does not matter if you can read or write there is always someone in the group who is willing to read these important papers and explain what they mean.

Self-Advocates have an advisor who helps at meetings. The advisor explains what people’s problems are and the group discusses ways to deal with the problem sometimes getting together with other people to solve problems.

We also get together with the government to let them know if we are having problems with the services we receive and to suggest ways that we can help the government and other agencies make their services to Self Advocates better.

Self-Advocates have given talks at conferences to let people know what it is like to wear a label like mentally challenged or handicapped.

We have fun too getting together for pizzas, dances, coffee, and more.

Self-Advocates from around B.C. meet each year at the British Columbia Association for Community Living Annual general meeting. This gives us the chance to be a part of making decisions that affect us.


HOW CAN I BECOME A SELF ADVOCATE?

If you are interested in becoming a Self-Advocate all you have to do is:

Call 763-9499 and ask for Miki, who will give you information about meeting dates and times.

The Kelowna Self-Advocates meet the second Tuesday of the month at the Parkinson Recreation Centre, 1800 Parkinson Way, Kelowna.

These is no charge and people need to know that they only come to these meeting if they want.



SELF ADVOCATES REPRESENT THEMSELVES:

- The British Columbia Association for Community Living Self-Advocacy Caucus.
- British Columbia Coalition for People with Disabilities.
- The City of Kelowna Disability Advisory Committee.
- The Kelowna and District Society for Community Living.


SOME REASONS PEOPLE GIVE FOR BECOMING SELF ADVOCATES:

"In the past I was not able to choose the clothes I wore because other people chose them for me."

"Because I only had one outfit to wear and that was what the institution gave me."

"Because an education and the opportunity for one were out of the question. Today we demand people speak in plain language so we can understand."

"Because I want to live on my own and my parents won't let me."

"No one thinks I can do anything for myself. I can."

"I want to learn more things so I can do them for myself and so I can help others."

"I don't like when other people think for me. I have a brain."

"Because I want to go to meetings with the government and discuss issues and to become more knowledgeable about my community."

"Because I have something important to say."