Self Advocacy=Self Determination:
Standing Up for Your Rights

	Amy made her voice heard as she taught teens how to advocate for people with disabilities.
	Amy was honored as a 2005 Young Woman of Distinction for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project at the Girl Scout National Council Session/50th Convention in Atlanta.
	A Young Woman of Distinction Through her tireless efforts to contribute to a cause she is so passionate about, Amy has been chosen to serve as a Board Member and Policy Workgroup co-chair of the National Council on Disability's Youth Advisory Council in Washington, D.C. Amy was also selected as a 2005 Young Women of Distinction for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project and was honored during an awards ceremony at the Girl Scout National Council Session/50th Convention in Atlanta.

Amy, age 17,
Austin, Texas

As I testified before the Texas Legislature about a proposed state budget that would cut services to 75,000 Texans with disabilities, I wondered why there weren't more people who have disabilities testifying alongside me. I realized that there were many obstacles that prevented those with disabilities from coming to Austin to testify.

They included:

• Lack of transportation and attendants to travel with them
• Lack of accessible hotels in the area
• Long hours at the capital

But most of importantly:

• Lack of knowledge on how to testify

To prepare for the next legislative session, I decided to create a mentor program to train teens and adults to testify.

Advocacy in Action

For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, the highest award in Girl Scouting, I taught teens to testify to the Texas legislature! I held workshops with the help of experts from ADAPT, Advocacy, Inc. and the Texas Center for Disability Studies to familiarize teens and their parents with the legislative process. I focused on teens who had either been a victim of a violent crime and weren't satisfied with law enforcement follow-up, or had health issues or disabilities and needed more services, or had siblings participating in the juvenile justice system.

Participants learned how a bill becomes a law, how bills are appropriated in finance, and how to write a three-minute testimony. We concluded the four-session training with a mock hearing in a senate hearing room, and legislative staff acted as the legislators at the mock hearing. The legislative staff who heard our issues gave us advice interspersed among our testimonies.

I also set up a Yahoo!® group for my class members to access during the upcoming session. Even though I had met all of my goals for the Girl Scout Gold Award, I scheduled another mock hearing session in the capitol. The hearing coincided with an inclusion conference at the Arboretum for all Texas parents who have children with disabilities.

From Passion to Action

Why am I so passionate about this cause? Because I know from experience that it takes many voices to cause change. When my family lived in Missouri we witnessed a bill to implement early intervention from birth to age three defeated. At age three, I wasn't able to sit or crawl due to cerebral palsy, but I could roll on the floor in front of the legislators while my mom testified—and rolling was my message to the legislature about the need for that intervention. The bill was defeated that year, and another 13 times. In the 13th year 100 families testified for this early intervention bill, and it finally passed.

The most successful aspect of my project was getting people to testify to the legislature. All of the teens and parents who were participants in my Girl Scout Gold Award project became so involved in the process, they testified at an actual hearing! My hope is that these testimonies will cause the legislature to wake and see how budget cuts affect the lives of those most in need. And that those with disabilities will feel empowered to become self-advocates.

I plan to continue this work forever!