Frontline Initiative Workforce Development

Welcome to The Real Scoop. Clifford is a self-advocate who has been politically active for years. He’s here to give you his spin on how to deal with issues you face as you forge ahead in your role as a Direct Support Profession al (DSP). Seth has been a DSP for many years, and he loves to give advice. He may ruffle your feathers, but hey, it’s for your own good! Clifford and Seth tackle this one with a few suggestions.

Whatever Happened to AFP?

Dear Cliff and Seth,

Last fall I attended an amazing event called the Alliance for Full Participation Summit 2005. I am curious about what has been happening since. Can you help?

–Sincerely, Wondering What’s Next 

Dear Wondering,

In December 2003, eleven leading national disability organizations officially joined together to form the Alliance for Full Participation, LLC (AFP). The objective of this alliance was full realization of the vision of people with disabilities living meaningful, productive, and personally satisfying lives in their communities of choice. The AFP Web site contains additional information and follow up on AFP’s 2005 Summit (www.alliancefo rfullparticipation.org).

— Seth

Dear Wondering,

Partners from each state met before the AFP Summit and organized and identified key issues that they wanted to work on. At this point, most of the state teams are supposed to be working on the goals they identified for their individual state. For example, the state where I am from, Minnesota, is focusing on securing sustainable funding for self-advocacy and gaining on better support to address direct support workforce issues. To learn more about what your state is doing, visit AFP’s state teams page, where you can find contact information for the team leader in your state (www.allianceforf ullparticipation.org).

— Cliff