Four recommendations are provided for developing self-advocacy in individuals with mental retardation, to support national and local advocacy organizations. Guidelines include making specific and concrete recommendations, expressing one's needs, appreciating all stakeholders' limits, and appreciating that change is often slow. (PB)

Suggestions are provided for mental retardation service providers interested in closer cooperation with the self-advocacy movement. Tips emphasize sharing information, establishing local self-advocacy groups, encouraging convention participation, encouraging staff involvement, listening to consumers, and listening to the voices of the…

Interviews with 22 adults with mental retardation suggest that, although they and other individuals with mental retardation have participated in various roles in research and training, there are many barriers to meaningful consumer involvement (such as professional jargon) and there is a need to bring out individuals' strengths and capabilities.…

This article discusses how outside contributions and interests can place self-advocates in danger, how personal issues of advisors may place self-advocates in danger, a way for advisors to resolve their personal issues, and strategies that advisors can employ to assist and support self-advocates if they are in dangerous situations. (CR)

This article discusses four necessary elements of the self-advocacy movement: gaining awareness of one's social and political situation; gaining awareness of individual strengths and potential; taking action through participation in community organizations; and having advisors collaborate with people with disabilities rather than treating them as…

A telephone survey examined self-reported training needs of 90 advisors to self-advocacy groups for people with mental retardation. Major findings addressed desired training topics, preferred training formats, hours and frequency of training, how training needs change, and differences in training based on advisor demographic data. Analysis…

Opinions of professionals from 16 agencies were obtained to identify techniques that agencies serving adults or adolescents with mental retardation could utilize to provide systematic sex education and counseling. Recommendations are offered in five areas: self-advocacy and self-determination, individual design, staff training and support,…

This commentary discusses whether the American Association on Mental Retardation should change its name. The history of the term "mental retardation" is reviewed and it is argued that any new term will take on similar risks. The need to involve self-advocates in any terminology change is stressed. (Contains 5 references.) (CR)

This article describes development and psychometric properties of the Community Living Attitudes Scale, Mental Retardation, a 40-item measure based on the input of self-advocates and focused on contemporary community living philosophies. Tested with 742 individuals, the measure's factor structure was confirmed, and subscales of Empowerment,…