Legislative Advocacy is . . .
Using the legislative process to mandate change in the social system in order to secure the rights of persons with disabilities.

Have the group brainstorm equality issues relating to persons with disabilities that may have been in the press over the past year: these might include the Tracy Latimer case, proposed changes to the Canada Pension Plan and its impact on persons with disabilities or, on the issue of gender, a woman's fight for exemption from paying taxes on the child support payments from her children's father. Although these issues may raise some heated discussion, keep the group focused on the way that these court cases promoted equality rights. Even if the case is unsuccessful in a court of law, the issue of public awareness and debate can and will affect the outcome of other cases.

Exercise 1
Hand out copies of the Nancy Green story. Divide the participants into groups of four and have them discuss what they would do under similar circumstances. Have the participants refer to the handout on the Advocacy Process (Section Two: Module Five) as they work on an Action Plan. Make sure that each group maps out an Action Plan on a piece of paper and elects one member of the group to act as a spokesperson for that group. The facilitator and his or her assistant may want to circulate among the groups to remind the participants that there is no right or wrong Action Plan--that each Action Plan stems from available choices.

Bring the participants back together. Support each spokesperson to make his or her presentation to the large group. Comment on facts presented as well as the way that the spokesperson presented these facts. Make sure you provide positive feedback for lessons learned.

You may want to end the discussion with the outcome of the Nancy Green case, which is described in the handout.

Discussion
Questions for Consideration:

• What is Nancy's major issue?
• What is the biggest problem that Nancy is facing?
• Who should Nancy approach for support?
• What options are available to Nancy?
• When can Nancy expect to see results?