Self-Advocacy Academy

Nine adults huddled together smiling for a group picture with a grey wall with geometric shapes behind them.

The Self-Advocacy Academy is a weekly program of sessions and activities to support you in discovering what you want in life and empowering you to get it.

  • The Academy is an interactive program engaging participants in 2-hour sessions each week from 10am to noon currently offered on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday with remote and in-person options.

  • Organized in three trimesters of 13 sessions each. You’re never far from a new group beginning with start times in January, April and September. Participants commit to attending each session over the course of a year.

  • The ACT facilitators are trained experts in delivering the curriculum.

  • The Academy is an unlicensed market-based service within the Family Training and Counseling services.

  • The Academy curriculum revolves around three goal areas:

  1. Building personal power

  2. Connecting to disability rights

  3. Building stronger and more inclusive communities

“I like taking these classes, it’s like a workout for my brain!”

— Ademola K., Self-Advocate

About the Program

People enroll for a full year of programming attending three trimesters per year.

Our curriculum is adapted to each participant, so this class is accessible to any participant! In addition to gaining important advocacy skills, our classes will connect self-advocates to our statewide self-advocacy network! Our courses include:

  • 101: Intro to Self-Advocacy

  • 102: Deepening Your Self-Advocacy

  • 103: Living the Way We Want

  • 104: Building Your Circle of Friends

  • Goal Setting for Self-Advocacy

Each course is 13 weeks and takes place at a community site, day program, or the ACT office!

A group of six people with colorful necklaces standing together beside a "Self-Advocacy Academy" banner.

Billing Information
UMPI: A778683300
HCPC: S5110
Unit rate: $19.75
Units: 270 annually (90 per trimester)
Dates: 2/12/25-12/31/25

Contact ACT’s Self-Advocacy Academy and Program Administrator, Adam Ruff, if you have questions or would like more information.