This video gives an overview of how people use special needs trusts and ABLE accounts to pay for the things that they need in their life, including stories and advice from self-advocates about using special needs trusts.
This video gives an overview of the steps a person with IDD may want to take to find a job and build their career, including stories and advice from self-advocates about jobs they have had and how they have built there careers.
This video gives an overview of how people with IDD can grow and build their social network throughout their lives, including stories from self-advocates about who is in their social network and how they have grown it throughout their lives.
This video talks about the many changes or losses people may have in their lives and how to prepare for losses that they may experience, including stories from self-advocates about how they have dealt with losses in their lives.
This video provides an overview about how people can build good relationships in their lives and leave bad relationships when they occur, including stories and advice from self-advocates on how people have built good relationships in their lives.
This webpage gives an overview of people to contact if you have an immediate need for temporary or permanent support as a result of a caregiver no longer being able to provide support.
NASUAD represents the nation’s 56 state and territorial agencies on aging and disabilities and supports visionary state leadership, the advancement of state systems innovation and the articulation of national policies that support home and community-based services for older adults and individuals with disabilities. NASUAD releases publications, provides technical assistance to agencies, and develops initiatives to support state agencies to better support people with disabilities and families.
The main objectives of the FSRTC are to define the state of science in family support; generate new information in critical policy areas of self-direction and managed care and in culturally competent peer supports, and to share promising practices in family support nationally.
As a family member, you are a trusted supporter for your family member with IDD. You can help your family member identify places he or she wants to volunteer, address any challenges that arise as he or she volunteers, provide support and encouragement, and celebrate a job well done.
On this page, you will find resources that you can use to support your family member to find a volunteer activity or position in your community.
Help your Family Member Make a Volunteer Plan
Making a plan can help your family member find a volunteer position that matches his or her interests and goals. To get started planning, work with your family member to complete My Volunteer Vision. This document can help your family member express what he or she wants out of volunteering and activities that he or she may want to do. Once your family member completes this, reach out to the people listed as trusted supporters. Together, you all can work together to find volunteer opportunities in your community that fit with your family member’s vision and goals. You can download My Volunteer Vision.
It is possible that your family member may volunteer somewhere and not like the position or not feel comfortable there. If this happens, try to encourage your family member by sharing times you have been in similar situations and how you improved the situation. And, if your family member wants to find a new volunteer activity, work together and with your team to identify other matches in the community!
Help Your Family Member Search for a Volunteer Opportunity
There are many volunteer databases that you and your family member can use to find opportunities in your community. These sites will search for volunteer opportunities based on the type of volunteer activity, location, date, and hours of service required. Schedule a few hours to review these sites together and to get your family member’s feedback on available opportunities.
If your family member does not find a position that he or she is interested in, consider helping him or her reach out to groups in the community that he or she likes and would be interested in volunteering with.
• All for Good
• Create the Good
• Do Something
• Volunteer Match
• Idealist
• HandsOn Network
• MeetUp
• Eventbrite
Use the Buddy System to Break the Ice
A great way to get started volunteering and get to know a volunteering location is to go with a friend. If your family member feels nervous about volunteering, having a trusted family member or friend around may make him or her feel more comfortable. If the location has expressed nervousness or lack of familiarity supporting volunteers with IDD, bringing a buddy will give the volunteer location an opportunity to observe, ask questions, and learn better what types of support-– if any-– your family member may need. Once your family member is comfortable with the opportunity, work with your family member, the buddy, and the volunteer group to identify a natural support (e.g., another volunteer) who can provide reassurance so that your family member can volunteer on his or her own if he or she chooses to do so.
What Else Can I Do?
Check with your local chapter of The Arc to learn more about other local volunteer opportunities you may want to participate in!
Self Advocacy Online is a place to find accessible information and videos on current topics in self-advocacy. Visitors to the site will discover multi-media lessons on a variety of topics such as living self-determined, healthy, contributing lives in their communities. The site includes a story wall of videos of self-advocates sharing their stories. SAO operates with primary funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), and other federal agencies. SAO is a part of the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota.
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