Search Inc. Joins the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance

We are excited to announce that Search Inc. has joined the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance as a Silver Level member group.  Founded in 2009 as an initiative of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Alliance is a network of almost 40 self-advocacy groups across Illinois, all working together to enrich lives and improve services for people with disabilities.

The Alliance offers a unique training program called the “Alliance Ambassador Leadership Program,” a 5-month leadership training program to help people with disabilities set and accomplish their goals, create and share presentations, sit on boards & committees and eventually mentor other self-advocates.

Five members of the ‘Self-Advocates for Search’ group have just enrolled in this amazing program which kicked off 2020 with an all-day orientation in Bloomington, IL on January 15th. “It was fun to connect with other like-minded individuals who share a passion for self-advocacy and a vision of progress for the future. It’s nice to know we aren’t alone in the fight for a better life for people with disabilities here in Illinois,” said Jennifer Gledhill, Self-Advocacy Ally and Road Trip Captain. “We even made some new friends in the process!”

For the next five months, the Search Self-Advocates will take part in monthly webinars to develop and enhance their advocacy, leadership and public speaking skills.  Once their training is completed, the ambassadors will return to Bloomington in May for a small graduation ceremony, then join their fellow Alliance Ambassadors around the state in their efforts to ‘Speak Up and Speak Out’ to fellow self-advocates, policymakers, and anyone else who is serious about liberty and justice for all in Illinois.

“These Ambassador pioneers each have unique aspirations, some individual, some political,” added the Road Trip Captain. “But they also all have one huge thing in common: a burning desire to make a difference in the world around them.  I can’t wait to see what they can accomplish with their new skills.”

There’s power in numbers, and the Alliance is growing every day!