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Advocacy Center
What is Advocacy
Advocacy is Important
Making Your Voice Heard
Legislative Process
DBSA
Legislative Action Center
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 Advocacy is especially important now because of the many legislative
changes made to mental health services, social assistance and other
areas that impact the lives of people who use the mental health system.
You don’t need special training to be an advocate. Anyone can do it.
All you need is a passion for DBSA’s mission—to improve the lives of
people living with mood disorders. Most of what a good advocate does
is intuitive and grows out of a few basic principles.
You just need to make the commitment.
But I Just Don’t Have the Time
Most of us don’t have a lot of extra time. But if we, as patients, don’t
speak out for our own rights on issues such as insurance discrimination,
who will speak for us? On some issues, it takes
as little as five letters or phone calls to tilt a representative’s decision making
process one way or the other. |
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Learn more advocacy myths here!
Your Voice Makes a Difference
The decision-making centers around you -- the voters back home. At some
point there will be that one letter or one call that “breaks the
camel’s back” so to speak. And while your letter may not be that straw –
it may make the straw possible.
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Think about it as if you were a
legislator who had just won the election.
You leave your home state, go to Washington and suddenly find
yourself voting on issues ranging from taxation to trade, from
defense to housing, from education to highway construction, from
healthcare to pension benefits – all while hearing absolutely
nothing from your constituents who are entrusting you to
represent them.
You are overwhelmed by the amount of issues, by advocates
lobbying for issues you have never heard of and groups working
their own agenda – all while trying to learn your new position.
You quickly realize you can’t cover the waterfront by
yourself. The only way to stay on top of the things that are
important to your constituents is if they tell you. |
If we don’t speak up
and make sure communicate with our legislators – we won’t get what we
need out of the policymaking process.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
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Page created: May 12, 2005 |
Page last updated:
July 21, 2006 |
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