What are SPARKS Grants?  The purpose of SPARKS Grants is to organize local grassroots groups to make changes in their communities that result in a positive impact on the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including individuals with diverse identities and/or individuals that are underserved. * Grassroots community organizing means groups that are led by individuals with disabilities together with their allies, who are working for positive community change for individuals with I/DD on issues that are important to them.  Priority activities for 2018-19 SPARKS Grants are: Increasing transportation options for people with I/DD Increasing the...

We welcome you to the first-ever submission for What’s the Word, our new way to highlight stories and thoughts for advocacy written by someone living with disability. Every month we plan to share some perspective on disability issues written by a self-advocate. This could be about an advocacy effort in the state or just some food for thought. We will be sending these out through our newsletter but we will also have the current write-up and previous ones on our website. The page link will be under the “Recent News” menu on the side of the website. This month we...