| Introduction
The purpose of People First is to create a
self-directed, supportive community of adults who have developmental disabilities.
People First is a "self-advocacy"
and "self-help" organization.
Self-advocacy is:
· learning how to speak up for ourselves
· making our own decisions about what we want to do with our lives
· learning to carry out our own plans
Self-help means:
· we listen to each other
· help each other with our problems
· reach out to people who are not members
People First helps the people who are members
get better at these skills, by giving them a place to practice making decisions,
helping others, and solving problems.
People First meetings give people a chance
to learn parliamentary procedures. At the chapter meetings people have a
chance to practice debating the sides of an issue, and then taking a vote.
The members of People First are trying to
show other people in the community that People with developmental disabilities
are regular people, who have, basically, the same interests, talents, strengths,
and desires that other people have.
The members of People First want to show people
who don't know about disabilities, that people with developmental disabilities
are able to live and work among them.
People with disabilities contribute a lot
to and enrich the communities in which they live.
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