Reno, NV – The Arc in Nevada and People First of Nevada are proud to announce a new joint venture funded by the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (DD). This exciting project aims to provide people with developmental disabilities living in the state of Nevada with information and skills necessary to participate in advocacy and policy making decisions through expanding an effective statewide self-advocacy organization – People First of Nevada – that is led by people with developmental disabilities.

The Arc has years of experience creating movements of social change, and training people with DD in ways that supports their lives. In 2011, The Arc created the National Council of Self Advocates in response to the need to fully include people with DD to guide The Arc’s direction and to provide self-advocacy training, leadership development, and opportunities to be part of a national self-advocacy movement that is grounded in local and state grassroots efforts. This effort in Nevada is a natural extension of those efforts.

“People First is excited to join forces with The Arc in Nevada and to start new ventures together,” said Santa Perez, Self-Advocacy Coordinator for The Arc in Nevada.

People First of Nevada is a self-advocacy group run by and for individuals with developmental differences throughout Nevada. People First works to support the reality that people with developmental disabilities have the right to make their own decisions and to live self-determined lives.

This joint project will include efforts to recruit and engage new people with DD to the Nevada self-advocacy movement. Participants will be provided with leadership training and have opportunities to develop new self-advocacy skills and be among the upcoming generation of new leaders. This training will provide information on how to grow an organization in financial terms, and also in terms of solid leadership and governance strategies.

The Arc in Nevada is funded by the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities to support expanding the capacity of People First of Nevada as a strong, sustainable organization able to expand the leadership and impact of self-advocates (people with developmental disabilities) in their communities across Nevada.