This month the CFOC Nonprofit Spotlight features Council Rock, a group of self-advocates who volunteer at community events in the Otsego County area. The group encourages community engagement and helps raise awareness of the abilities of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.
Council Rock is an engaged group of self-advocates with intellectual disabilities who hope to share their talents and energy with others to improve Otsego County’s quality of life. Members meet each month at the Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome at Pathfinder Village in Edmeston to discuss topics that range from equal access and choice, from volunteerism to capital improvements. The group’s motto is “We speak up for ourselves and our friends.”
This year, Council Rock was awarded a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion grant by the Community Foundation of Otsego County to develop educational materials and public outreach activities. Taking a grass-roots approach of “neighbors talking to neighbors,” the group started a postcard campaign, is developing social media messaging, and has organized inclusive events in Edmeston and area communities. One recent event was a #DsRocks (a community project in support of those with Down syndrome) painting session at The Gatehouse in Morris.
“Although people with intellectual disabilities are more visible than at any other time in history, they still face discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion,” said group advisor Brittany Goodrich, the Director of the Kennedy Willis Center at Pathfinder Village. “Council Rock members share their abilities by meeting community members at events and volunteering to benefit local nonprofits. Through creating person-to-person connections, our self-advocates are changing perceptions and promoting inclusion for all.”
Council Rock’s service activities are proposed, developed, and voted on by group members. To grow their network and foster partnerships, the self-advocates have worked in recent years with the Otsego County Board of Elections, the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS), NYCM Insurance, the Office for the Aging, Edmeston Central School, and the Town of Edmeston. Other partners include the Upstate Institute and Colgate Buddies at Colgate University, Best Buddies International, and the Center for Social Responsibility and Volunteerism at the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Content provided by Pathfinder Village.
Council Rock is open to all people with disabilities and meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome, Pathfinder Village, Edmeston. If community members wish to learn more about self-advocacy, please contact the group through their email, councilrock@pathfindervillage.org.
