clueless

My house mate and I often sit and discuss social issues.  He seems to enjoy my opinions on things.  I really don't think my opinions count for much, but it's nice to be asked.  My house mate has a close family member with a mental illness.  He and his mother are often frustrated about the services he receives.  They seem to worry about their family members' lack of education.  With a better education this person may be able to get a job and better take care of himself. Based on some of the conversations, I have come to the conclusion that people (including me) are basically clueless.

My house mate knows very little about how to advocate.  I have told him a few places to start to go looking.  His relative had a mental illness before the age of 22 so resource coordination for his county may help.  A visit to Division of Rehabilitative Services may also be a place to go.  The only way to help yourself in any situation is to gather information and do something.  That something may be asking for help.  It may be writing a letter.  It may be going to court and letting the law take over.  Every situation is different.  The action should be different for every situation.

I have a deeper issue.  It seems to me that a lot of us (people involved in these issues) get involved with advocacy on some level but don't want to help each other.  A lot of people with disabilities don't think about associating themselves or their group to include people with mental illness because there is a negative label with mental illness.   Almost more so than disability.  Older people don't want to link in with disabled groups because admitting that you need that type of support means admitting that things are changing and you may not be able to do things alone anymore.  There had always been a split among the disability community.  People with physical disabilities do not associate with people with intellectual disabilities.  It perpetuates an old stereotype that says if you have a physical disability, you have a mental one too.  That is not true all the time.

All of these groups should not be afraid to get together and work on whatever issues they have in common first.  The sheer numbers would give power politically.  I also think schools should teach advocacy.  Both for ones self and for whatever group they wish.  There is nothing wrong in developing some one's ability to find out what is available in their community and how to access it.  You never know when you might need it.  I also think that it is not a bad idea to teach kids how to effectively contact their government officials.  It will go a long way in creating good citizens who vote.  Some books listed below are a good start.