What Is Citizen Advocacy?
Citizen Advocacy occurs when a competent, private citizen, recruited, oriented, and supported as a citizen advocate by Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta & DeKalb, Inc., represents the interests of one other person who has a developmental disability and is at risk of social exclusion. It has the advantages of being voluntary and free from conflict of interest, of occurring between members of the same community, and of potentially being a long-term, even lifelong, form of protection for the person who has a disability.
During that meeting with Robin I couldn’t help but try to imagine myself living his life - someone unable to hear or talk and separated from loved ones, but someone who gets a lot out of going for walks and riding in cars and who loves to eat and do puzzles -- such pure simple joys. I could just be with him, enjoy his company and do things with him that he loved to do. I could treat him the way I would like to be treated. And someplace deep inside me said, “Yes” to Robin. It was undeniable. His gentle soul opened up my heart to him.
Once I got involved in his life, the desire to advocate for him propelled me. One crucial suggestion was to establish a Circle of support for Robin. So, I gathered together a small dedicated group of compassionate and concerned individuals that offered many helpful suggestions, especially on how to obtain a Medicaid waiver. There were actually very few waivers available, but if he could land one then he would be financially able to live in the community with supportive services.
It’s interesting how it seems we are given more strength and resolve when we’re acting on behalf of others.
Thanks to the help and guidance of the citizen advocacy coordinator and members of Robin’s Circle of Support, I was able to advocate for him and make his needs known to the Regional Board with much persistence and perseverance. Amazingly enough, the Board responded by granting Robin a waiver. This allowed him to return to Georgia and live in a home in the community--not in an institution-- and to be close to his family. It also enabled him to become better integrated into community life.
Robin is now 28 and I have no idea what he thinks of me, but when I visit him, he always holds out his hand and is ready to go. We do things we enjoy and he keeps helping me to be more present in the moment, to see things through his eyes and to enjoy what’s around us. I’m touched by his gentleness and his bursts of pure joy and my life is fuller with Robin in it.