Building Bridges Community Support is starting a self-advocacy group this fall.
There’s a number of self-advocacy groups across Canada. One of the biggest is People First of Canada. Self-advocacy allows a person, usually with a disability, to represent their own views or interests.
BBCS is opening the group to anyone interested in self-advocacy.
“The idea is to teach people what it means to be a self-advocate and how to be a self-advocate,” said Astrid Koenig, a spokesperson for BBCS.
“People with diverse abilities (disabilities) don’t always know their rights. It’s about being able to speak up for yourself and not have other people tell you what you should be doing.”
Koenig hopes to have at least 10 people attend the first meeting where the group will decide on a name and what it will be doing. The meeting is Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the downstairs suite at 2236 Tara Pl.
Building Bridges Community Support is a small agency that supports people with diverse abilities from early intervention with kids with autism, children’s social groups and support for adults in the community.
For more information on the self-advocacy group or BBCS, please call Astrid Koenig at 250-634-3020.