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NEAT Report
By James Oldenburg
North East Advocates Together (NEAT), met in Sunapee New Hampshire, on November 8th and 9th, 2006. NEAT is a part of SABE, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered. SABE is the national self advocacy organization that represents all the United States.
SUFU Board officers, Jim Oldenburg, Maryann Preble, and Amy Madsen represented Maine. Self-Advocates from New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont were there. Each state gave a report of self advocacy activities in their states.
There was a conference call with Chester Finn, the representative for SABE from NEAT region 8, and with Clint Perrin, from New York. Chester explained that the finance committee of the SABE board would like to ask each state’s DD Council for five thousand dollars to be given to SABE. If that happens each state’s self advocacy organization would not have that money to work with, it would be given to SABE. At the meeting we all agreed to write a statement, called a resolution, to go to the SABE board.
To the SABE finance committee:
We, NEAT (North East Advocates Together) don’t want SABE to ask any of our state organizations for money for SABE. It will be taking money away from our state self-advocacy organizations which are the grassroots. Without the grassroots we don’t have a national organization. NEAT is a network of state self-advocacy organizations from New England and New York.
People First of New Hampshire
People First of Connecticut
Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong
New York State Self-Advocacy Association
Green Mountain Self-Advocates of Vermont
Speaking Up For Us of Maine
Advocates for Action, Rhode IslandWe also decided that at the next NEAT meeting each state will do a presentation, about an hour long, on a self advocacy project they are working on, and the presenters will bring materials to share. State reports will be written reports to be passed around.
The next NEAT meeting will be in Spring 2007.