Advocacy

Every eligible Oklahoman has the right to vote. That right does not disappear or diminish because a person has an intellectual or developmental disability, and it does not require anyone's permission to exercise it. But the actual process of casting a ballot raises real, specific questions for people with IDD and the families, guardians, and support staff around them. Questions about guardianship. Questions about what accommodation looks like at the polls. Questions about whe

When you become the primary support for a grandchild with an intellectual or developmental disability, nobody hands you a manual. You inherit the role and the paperwork all at once. In recognition of Grandparents Day, we want to walk through what that looks like for grandparents raising grandchildren with IDD, and where to start. The shift nobody prepares you for You already raised your kids. You weren't expecting to sit through an IEP meeting, learn another set of acronyms,

This summer, America turned 250. Parades, fireworks, flags. A celebration of the ideals this country was founded on. Liberty. Justice. The belief that every person has the right to live a full life on their own terms. It is a good moment to ask whether we are living up to those ideals. For Oklahomans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the answer is: we are getting there. But we are not there yet. Civil rights did not stop at disability The Americans with Disabi