In a lot of cases, people who have developmental disabilities are told what they need, rather than being able to share what they want. Changing this was the reason behind a recent workshop in Terrace, organized and lead by people with similar lived experience.
One of the ways we celebrate National AccessAbility Week is by sharing the work of organizations that are removing barriers for people with disabilities. We spoke with some people from Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action (ESATTA) who recently hosted the Terrace event.
What started as a group of people who wanted to be their own bosses, run a business, and help people take control of their lives, became Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action – or ESATTA Co-op. ESATTA now has a team of eight who run a range of workshops for people with developmental disabilities and their support networks. These include self-esteem workshops, grief workshops, breaking down barriers workshops, and People Planning Together.
The ESATTA team is trained to facilitate People Planning Together Workshops. The two-day workshop is led by and for people with developmental disabilities who are interested in taking a leadership role in planning a life they desire. Attendees learn to dream about and plan for their futures alongside their peers. Facilitators get paid to lead and make a difference in their communities.
ESATTA recently held a People Planning Together Workshop in Terrace, B.C. The northern region of B.C. hadn’t had an event like this one in over two decades, so the attendees were eager to learn and connect. The workshop hosted 29 people, including 20 self-advocates and nine support workers. ESATTA made every effort to bring people together for this event. They partnered with the local self-advocacy society to sponsor hotel rooms for people from the nearby Indigenous Nation so they wouldn’t have to travel four hours for each day of the workshop. This allowed three Gitxsan participants to attend the event.
Ryan Groth, an ESATTA leaders and co-founder, shared that this type of event is pivotal for people.
“For a lot of people,” Ryan says, “it’s a turning point from people telling them what they need, to them telling people what they want.”
Ryan went through the program himself and found that it was empowering to be lead by people with a similar lived experience as him.
At the end of the workshop, participants leave with a plan that reflects their desires. They can use the plan to ask for services and supports for themselves. The goal is for people to walk away from the workshop with a better understanding of who they are and what they want.
This type of work is made possible through Community Living BC’s grant program. CLBC grants fund organizations that are working to promote community inclusion. James White is a founding co-op member. He wanted to start ESATTA to remind people that everyone deserves to have a say in their lives.
“We still have to keep reminding people that everybody is equal,” James says, “and that is an ongoing battle.”
If you are interested in hosting a workshop, or want to learn more, visit ESATTA’s Facebook page here.