A group of participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Opportunity Zone Day Program have been attending weekly self-advocacy classes, covering topics such as rights and responsibilities, relationships, anti-bullying, and self-care. In addition to the in-person meetings at OZ, several consumers also attend monthly Zoom meetings with the NJ Self-Advocacy Project. Recently they also participated in the NJ Self-Advocacy’s 40th Annual Fall Conference via Zoom and had a wonderful time.
The group is also learning about “standing up and speaking up,” both for themselves and others. At one of the monthly Zoom meetings, the subject of voting came up. The consumers in attendance “spoke up” and said they wanted to learn about voting and cast their ballots in the November presidential election. So they did just that. Weekly self-advocacy meetings began to cover the history of voting in the United States and the steps involved in registering to vote. The sessions were very interactive, and consumers used the state website to both register and request mail-in ballots. On October 30, the group dropped off their ballots at a secure drop box and proudly wore their “I Voted” stickers!
Do you have a loved one interested in attending The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Day Services? Click here to learn more about our programs, and reach out to The Arc of Essex County’s Director of Day Services Traditional Programming, Kristina Olszewski, to learn how you can enroll: kolszewski@arcessex.org or (973) 535-1181 ext. 1295.