1. CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUP
MAY 15, 2012
Introduction
WHAT DO WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
To ensure that individuals with
disabilities in the Joplin area are able to
maximize their access to community
buildings, events, and regular services,
and to motivate and educate people
with disabilities to become self-
advocates

2. Why Are We here?
Why Network?
• Professionals have contact with individuals
with disabilities
• Professionals may see needs that individuals
with disabilities don’t see
• Professionals have clients with disabilities that
will benefit from greater accessibility

3. Our Mission
• Raise awareness in our community
– Draw attention to consumer needs
– We are the experts
• Break down barriers
– What are barriers?
– Why do we need to eliminate them?
• Increase accessibility in our community
– Who benefits from greater accessibility?
• Individuals with disabilities do
• Employers do
• Businesses do
• Everyone in the community (parents with strollers, etc.)

4. What the Group will do
• Gain knowledge about the ADA
– Through presentations
– Through discussion
• Learn how to advocate
– As a group
– As an individual (self-advocacy)
• Advocate for change
– Locally
– Legislatively

5. When will the Consumer Advocacy Group meet?
– Meeting dates/times
– When will we do surveys
– When will we advocate for change

6. Where
to Advocate for Change
• Where will we begin the advocacy process?
– Local businesses
• Businesses where there are barriers
• New construction
– Legislatively
• Mostly In district
• Legislators may come to the group meetings for
discussion

7. How to Advocate
• As a group and individually
– Remain positive in all communication
– Assist and advise on issues relating to the
Americans with Disabilities Act
– Serve as technical advisers, initiate, design,
coordinate and implement established goals
– Establish liaisons with groups and organizations
that are concerned with achieving representation
and utilization of persons with disabilities
– Monitor issues so that necessary actions occur
within reasonable time frames

8. We Need To Know
• Accessibility for one is not accessibility for all
• ADA is a law but has its limitations
• Our community leaders
• Your needs and the needs of those we represent
– Needs and desires are not always the same thing
• Businesses we need access to
• Owners contact information
• Reason for change

9. Last meeting and planning sessions
• Goals:
– To provide information to Joplin business owners
on ways to improve their business’s services
– To assist other community services to improve
their facilities
– To provide an open forum for community
members to raise disability issues
– Provide information to business owners on the
ADA regarding accessibility and facilities for
people with disabilities

10. Last meeting and planning sessions
• Invite agency representatives
• Learn Agency needs
• Survey their clients to learn needs
• transportation, physical barriers, common needs
• Survey clients interest in becoming involved
• Identified need
• Transportation
• An Ideal form of transportation provides transportation to
and from air shows, county fairs, and after hours.
• Current services
• OATS-state, MAPS-city, Taxi service-city
• Obstacles

11. Future meetings
 Brainstorming
 Reporting as individuals to the group
 ADA education
 Review LEP training notes
 Learn to write letters
 Positive actions create positive reactions
 Learn to make telephone calls
 Positive actions create positive reactions
 Learn how to approach people
 Positive actions create positive reactions
 The necessity of writing “Thank You” cards
 Positive actions create positive reactions
 Legislative Process - LEP
 Meeting with legislators