How to Documents on People First NJ Groups

Rights and Responsibilities
Where to Begin
Making a Group Work
How to Start a Group
How to Keep it Going
Tips to Remember when Assisting People with Severe Disabilities in their Advocacy Efforts
How to Run a Meeting
Officer Roles
How to Vote During a Meeting

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Advisor Training Flyer Template Flyer
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Chapter Meeting Flyer Template Flyer
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How To Start and Run A People First Chapter Template Flyer
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Handbook

People First Handbook

Brochure

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Guidelines for the Agenda

1. Call to Order
   The president of the chapter calls the meeting to order.
2. Roll Call or Introductions
   Each member says his or her own name, or it is read aloud.
3. The Minute
   The secretary reads the minutes of the last meeting. The president asks for a motion to accept the minutes as read. The members vote.
4. The Treasurer’s Report
   The treasurer gives a report about money—where the money is going and how much money is coming in and how much money is in the bank.
5. Old Business
   The president discusses the old business. These are things that have been talked about before, but they are not done. Sometimes the president will ask for committee reports at this time.
6. New business
   The president leads a discussion of new business. These are ideas that have not been talked about before.
7. Announcements
   This is the portion of the meeting when people can make announcements about their own news, or news of interest to all of the members. The president will remind members of upcoming events.
8. The Program
   This time is to learn new things or do an activity together. There may be a guest speaker, a video, a project, or just a discussion on a topic of interest to the members of the People First chapter.
9. Adjourn meeting
   The president taps the gavel, and adjourns the meeting.
10. Refreshments
    Many People First groups bring snacks to share after the meeting. This is a social time during which members just talk and relax together.

When decisions need to be made, there needs to be a vote.

1. The President calls for a motion.
2. Someone makes a motion.
3. Someone else seconds the motion
4. There is discussion.
5. The president asks for everyone in favor to say “yea” or to raise
6. his or her hand.
7. The president asks everyone opposed to say “no” or raise his or her hand.
8. The president announces the results.

Robert’s Rules of Order—Motion Cue Card
Motion	Floor	Second	Debate	Amend	Vote
Adjourn Stop the meeting	Yes	Yes	No	No	Majority
Amend Change something	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
Call the Question Stop talking about it	No	Yes	No	No	Two-third
Call the question stop	No	Yes	No	Yes	Two-third
Debate (close, limit, Extend) talk about it	No	Yes	No	Yes	Majority
Fix time to adjourn Lay on the table talk about it later	No	Yes	No	No	Majority
Main Motion	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
Postpone to time certain wait until Later	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
Postpone Forever	No	Yes	Yes	No	Majority
Recess take a break	No	Yes	No	No	Majority
Refer to committee	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority

• Motion: Something that the board has to vote on
• Second: Someone else has to agree to the motion
• Debate: The motion has to be talked about
• Amend: The motion can be changed before it is voted on
• Majority: most of the people at a meeting

For further questions contact us at
Frank Latham – frank.latham@njcdd.org

It has been agreed upon by participants at a previous International Self-Advocacy Leadership Conference, that the most important thing to remember when you start a local self-advocacy group is to be sure that the members have control and power right from the beginning.

They decided that control and power mean that the members must be able to decide and determine when and where the group meets, who the advisor is, and what goes on in the meetings. The presenters and participants came up with the following ideas on how to start a local self-advocacy group.

1. Write to any of the conference co-sponsors who can help you get started.
2. Get another self-advocacy group in your area to help you get started.
3. Find an accessible place to meet that is close to the bus lines. Try and find a place to meet that is not where the members live or work.
4. Talk with your friends about what self-advocacy is and encourage them to meet with your group.
5. Make sure the day and time you meet is good for everyone. Make sure the day and time you meet is not the same day and time when people are already involved in other things.
6. Make up a “flyer” or meeting notice and put these up in group homes, workshops and other places. Put the bus number and a picture of how to get to the meeting on the flyer. Put the phone number of someone to call for more information on the flyer.
7. If your group is going to have an advisor, make sure the members vote to approve the advisor and make sure the advisor knows what they are supposed to do.
8. Use a film (People First; Board and Care; Feeling Good—Feeling Proud; Rights Now), or a videotape (Speaking for Ourselves; Don’t Think I don’t Think), as a way of introducing self-advocacy to new members. Have people from other self advocacy groups talk about what self-advocacy means to them.
9. Have refreshments and a “social time” at the end of the meetings.
10. Don’t elect officers for two or three meetings. This gives everyone a chance to speak and get to know the other members before you vote. When you do elect officers, have the people running for office give a speech and put pictures of the people who are running for office on the ballot box. This makes it easier for people to decide who to vote for.
11. As a group, make rules for how the group will work. Examples of rules include: Only one person speaks at a time, how to will vote to decide on things, etc. Make sure everyone understands before you vote on things.
12.  If you want, you can set up an “organizing committee” to get the group going. The organizing committee can be responsible for finding a place to meet, making up meeting notices, calling people to remind them of the meetings, doing refreshments, etc.
13. Use easy to understand words and pictures during the meetings to make sure everyone understands what is going on.
14. Set realistic goals for your group. It is important for your group to have success right at the very beginning so everyone will feel good about the group and themselves.
15. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak and participate during the meeting. It is important to share power so that everyone feels like an important and equal member. Get everyone involved in the group.
16. Do some fun things together as a group. Make people feel good about coming to the meetings.
17. Always than everyone for coming to the meeting and make sure they know then the next meeting is before you adjourn the meeting. Hand out calendars so everyone will know when the next meeting is.

References
Norsman, A. (n.d.). Patterns for Participation. Madison, W.I.: Wisconsin Association for Developmental Disabilities.
Reinforce. (Producer) (video-tape) (n.d.) Don’t Think I Don’t Think. Melbourne, Australia.
Rhoades, C. (Producer) (1985). Speaking for Ourselves: A video-tape series on how to start up and run self-advocacy groups for persons with developmental disabilities. Owings Mills, MD: Hallmark Films and Recordings

After a group has been started, you need to think about how to keep the group going. All groups have “ups” and “downs.” All groups will have problems at times. One of the most important things to keep a group going over time is to face problems head-on. Problems don’t just go away on their own—you have to face them head on and try to work them out. When your group has problems, remember to give people a chance to grow and change.

Most people have never had the experience of being part of a self-advocacy group where they get to make the decisions and solve problems on their own. Sometimes, it is hard to be a self-advocate, and people need time and understanding to work out problems and grow as a group. Below are the ideas that the conference participants came up with on how to support a self-advocacy group over time and keep it going.

1. Make the discussion in the meetings real. By real, we mean that the discussions must be about things that are important to the members. Each group has to decide what is real and important to them. If you keep the discussions real, and on things that are important to the members’ lives, then people will want to come to the meetings and take part.
2. Always have officer meetings. Officer meetings are a good time to learn about leadership, talk about and solve problems the group is having, and work with the advisor. If an advisor does a good job in the officer meetings, then the officers can run the membership meetings on their own. An officer meeting should be about one week before membership meetings, to give people a chance to learn and practice their duties and to make sure everything is ready for the membership meeting.
3. Set up some committees when you plan to do things. Committees are a good way to get everyone involved, plan things, and get things done. Committees give everyone a chance to have responsibilities and feel like an important part of the group.
4. Make sure there is a place and something for everyone at the meetings. It is important for everyone to have something to say at the meeting and a way to feel that they are an important part of the group. The best way to keep people involved is for everyone to have an important part in the group.
5. Plan some fun things together. Don’t make the meetings all “hard work.” Go out and eat together, go on a camping trip together, do fun things together. Find things to do together that build “team spirit.” Don’t let the meetings get boring

In starting and supporting a self-advocacy group, it is important for the members to learn and use a process for working together and getting things done. It is also important for self-advocates to be responsible for teaching others the process, to assume leadership roles, and to be in control of the goals that the group develops by working together. During all of this, the self-advocacy group must be able to include people with a wide range of disabilities so that everyone can participate and be a valued group member.

Starting and supporting a successful self-advocacy group is a process that takes lots of careful planning and thinking. Members and advisors must work together to establish a strong foundation so the group will continue to grow stronger. Below is a list of steps that self advocates and advisors typically use and go through in order to have successful self-help/self-advocacy groups. Some of these processes are described by Norsman in Patterns of Participation, and others have been identified by self-advocacy groups as they have started up.

For further questions contact us at
Frank Latham – frank.latham@njcdd.org

A PROGRAM OF the NJCDD
Program funded by the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council
912 Market Street ● Parkersburg, WV 26101 ● 304-422-3151 ext 106 ● www.peoplefirstwv.org

References
Norsman, A. (n.d.). Patterns for Participation. Madison, W.I.: Wisconsin Association for Developmental Disabilities.
Reinforce. (Producer) (video-tape) (n.d.) Don’t Think I Don’t Think. Melbourne, Australia.
Rhoades, C. (Producer) (1985). Speaking for Ourselves: A video-tape series on how to start up and run self-advocacy groups for persons with developmental disabilities. Owings Mills, MD: Hallmark Films and Recordings

Do’s and Don’ts when Mentoring to Individuals with Disabilities

Do’s:

1. Do consider the person as a person first, as a customer second, and thirdly as a consumer.
2. Do make every effort to understand what the person with speech impairment has to say.
3. Do take time to listen and do not assume you know what the person wants to say.
4. Do look at the person you are talking to and give him/her/them your full attention; this means do not fiddle with paper, read, or look at your watch.
5. Do be open-minded when he/she is telling you what their vocational goal is.
6. Do keep your expectations high and believe that the person has the ability to know their own capabilities.
7. Do communicate with the person even if they are accompanied by a parent or an attendant.
8. Do be courteous to the person.
9. Do be encouraging and supportive. Avoid comments like “Come now, be realistic,” or “You know you’ll fail if you try that.”
10. Do be sensitive and willing to offer accommodations appropriate to the person’s disability. Examples include offering to read documents to the person with a visual impairment, having a sign interpreter for the deaf, or providing a solid writing surface for people who have difficulty in using their hands.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t be negative when talking to a person with a severe disability. Negativity is stifling to a person not used to expressing themselves.
2. Don’t be loud when conversing with a person with a disability who has no hearing impairment.
3. Don’t try to be a mind reader when you are listening to a person with speech impairment. Believe me; this can be irritating because pretending to understand is insulting.
4. Don’t underestimate the determination of the person you are talking to.
5. Don’t let the appearance of the person influence you judgment of their abilities. A good rule to remember is the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
6. Don’t be overprotective and deny the person their right to learn even if that means failing. A mentor can point out obstacles but should never force their opinions of what not possible.
7. Don’t fail to offer appropriate accommodations if you are talking to a person with a disability.
8. Don’t position yourself in such a way as to make it difficult to maintain eye contact with the person.
9. Don’t talk to a person with speech impairment in a noisy environment. If possible, talk to them in a quiet environment.
10. Don’t ever talk down to a person with a disability; this includes persons with cognitive disabilities.

For further questions contact us at
Frank Latham – frank.latham@njcdd.org

Right 1: You have a right to wear your own clothes.

1. Wear your own clothes.
2. Report any problems to your service coordinator, care provider and a friend.

Right 2: You have a right to keep and spend your money (P & I) for small purchases.

1. Save and budget your money for the items you want and, save enough for items you need, like clothes.
2. Spend your money wisely.
3. Ask for IPP objectives to help with money management if needed.
4. Report any problems to your service coordinator, care provider and a friend.

Right 3: You have a right to a safe place to keep your personal belongings.

1. Ask your care provider to give you your space.
2. Use storage space for your items only.
3. Report problems to your service coordinator, care provider and a friend

Right 4: You have a right to have visitors every day. Where you are living is your home and you have the right to have guests.

1. Let your care provider know you are expecting a guest.
2. Assist in making your home presentable to your guest.
3. Set visits to a reasonable amount of time.

Right 5: You have a right to make private phone calls and have people call you at home.

1. Keep phone calls at a reasonable length.
2. Pay for long distance calls.

Right 6: You have a right to write letters and receive letters that have not been opened. You must have access to paper, envelopes, and stamps if you want to write a letter.

1. Ask care provider for stationary supplies.
2. Purchase special stationary with P & I funds.
3. Pay for postage with P & I funds.

Rights 7: You have a right to refuse electroconvulsive therapy (electroshock).

1. Report to service coordinator and a friend if someone tries to hurt you.
2. Do not give consent to something you do not like or understand.

Rights 8: You have a right to refuse behavior modification techniques that cause pain and trauma.

1. Report to service coordinator and a friend if someone tries to hurt you.
2. Do not give consent to something you do not like or understand.

Right 9: You have a right to refuse psychosurgery and all other surgery which is done for the purpose of brain modification.

1. Do not give consent to something you do not like or understand.

Right 10: You have a right to choices in your life, including with whom you want to live, your relationships, how you spend your time, and the development of a plan that fits your needs and desires.

1. You must spend some time thinking about what you want so that you can actively participate in your IPP
2. You must let your service coordinator know