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Self Advocacy

Speak Up Arkansas: Why Voting in Every Election is Important

Episode Summary:

On this episode of Speak Up Arkansas, we are joined by Senator Joyce Elliott with Get Loud Arkansas as well as Rebecca Zimmerman from  Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. We are doing to dive into voting, barriers to voting, and really discuss why voting in EVERY election is important.

Topics Discussed

  • History of Voting (4:28)
  • Barriers to Voting (9:38)
  • Why Voting in Every Election is Important (21:39)
  • How to Get Involved (41:29)
  • Voter Purging (52:38)

Resources / Helpful Links

Episode Transcript

Transcript of the episode’s audio

Calls to Action

Speak Up Arkansas: Back to School with IEPs

Episode Summary:

This is an important time of year for parents, students, and educators – back to school! It can also be a frustrating and scary time trying to navigate your child’s Individualized Education Program, or IEP. In adding transition services into the IEP, and a NEW proactive curriculum coming out to aid you in your IEP journey. I am so excited to be joined by Ally Thomlinson, Director of Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy, Derek Henderson – Attorney at Disability Rights Arkansas and former educator, Mollie Hernandez – Advocate at Disability Rights Arkansas, former educator, and transition services extraordinaire, and finally Kyla Bishop – attorney at Disability Rights Arkansas.

Topics Discussed

  • IEP Curriculum – (1:58) | (14:56)
  • Individualized Education Programs (IEP) – (5:58)
  • Parent Support Groups – (22:15)
  • Dispute Resolutions – (25:07)
  • Restraint & Seclusion – (31:10)
  • Transition Services – (46:42)
  • Rapid Fire Q&A – (53:48)

Resources / Helpful Links

Episode Transcript

Transcript of the episode’s audio

Calls to Action

Disability Advocates Rally at the Capitol for Annual Pie Day Event

The Arkansas Alliance of Disability Advocates hosted its annual Pie Day event at the Arkansas State Capitol on Monday, March 14. An estimated 165 self-advocates, parents, family members, supporters and allies gathered in the Rotunda to remind policymakers that “people with disabilities deserve a piece of the pie.”


The purpose of the event is to give people with disabilities an opportunity to educate lawmakers and to advocate for the supports they need to live and work independently in their communities. Pie Day also serves as a training opportunity for self-advocates to develop relationships with their elected officials, and to talk to them about the issues that matter most to them.

After two years of virtual events, one of the biggest draws of the event was the opportunity for in-person fellowship. And what’s Pie Day without pie? Piles of delicious hand-held apple and peach pies were graciously provided and served by the student chefs of the UA-Pulaski Technical College 3D Program.

UA-Pulaski Technical College 3D Program Handing Out Hand Pies


The day’s events began with a press conference in the Rotunda. Speakers included Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy Director Ally Thomlinson, Disability Rights Arkansas Executive Director Tom Masseau, State Rep. Reginald Murdock, and a number of disability advocates, self-advocacy leaders, family members, and allies. Self-advocate Tanner Maxwell presented the annual Advocacy Takes Action award to the Freeman Family of Forrest City, who were on hand to accept recognition for their outstanding achievements in disability advocacy.

The Freeman Family, Recipients of the Advocacy Takes Action Award


Following the press conference, pie, advocacy and networking, advocates gathered in the Rotunda for a rally, where State Reps. Julie Mayberry and Denise Ennett took the podium, along with self-advocates and family members. Self-advocates Michael Thornton and Eric Treat led the crowd in chanting, “Nothing about us without us!”


Several members of the Arkansas General Assembly were on hand for the day’s events, as were several members of the local media. Click HERE to view the article from THV11. Disability service providers and advocacy groups provided information about programs and services to those in attendance.


Pie Day is an event dedicated to the collective power of people with disabilities. Alliance Director Ally Thomlinson stated: “This event is the perfect place to allow everyone to use their advocacy skills, demonstrate leadership in their communities, and help elected officials understand how they can best represent the interests of Arkansans with disabilities.”


If the turnout at this year’s event is any indication, the disability community in Arkansas is strong, and policymakers are listening. As DRA Executive Director Tom Masseau noted in his remarks: “Today’s event and the rally following are a reminder to all policymakers that Arkansans with disabilities are tired of settling for leftovers. Arkansans with disabilities want a piece of the pie every day. We need to remind policymakers that people with disabilities matter.”

Speak Up Arkansas: Talking self-advocacy, disability rights…and pie

March 14 (3/14…get it?) is Pie Day at the Arkansas State Capitol! Every year since 2019, disability advocates have converged on the Capitol during Developmental Disability Awareness Month. But this event raises more than just awareness: the goal is to provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to build connections with legislators, to advocate for laws that help to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Disability advocacy organizations will be on hand with information about the work they do in the community. And yes, there really will be pie!

But disability self-advocates want to make sure that decision makers don’t just think about these issues on Pie Day. Leaders in the disability movement know all too well that “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” And they’re here to make sure that the voices of people with disabilities are heard and their lived experiences acknowledged and understood. THAT is what they want to bring awareness to on Pie Day: not just one day in one month, but all year long. 

People with disabilities feel the impact of policy decisions daily and directly. They’ve got some opinions about that! And they want not only awareness, but acknowledgment and ACTION.

Making sure people with disabilities get their fair piece of the pie: that’s what we’re talking about on this month’s episode. Plus, what’s your favorite pie? Our guests tell us theirs!

Guests include:

  • Ally Thomlinson, Director of the Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy
  • Tom Masseau, Executive Director, Disability Rights Arkansas
  • Shannon Rivas, DRA Board Member and Committee Coordinator/Secretary of Arkansas People First
  • Tanner Maxwell, Advocacy Council member for the Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND).

Tune in to KABF 88.3 FM this Wednesday, February 16 at 5:00 p.m. to hear Speak Up Arkansas. You can also livestream the show at kabf.org. And as always, after the show airs, you’ll be able to listen on our website at DisabilityRightsAR.org/speak-up-arkansas and watch the show on DRA’s YouTube channel.

SHOW NOTES

Pie Day at the Capitol

When: Monday, March 14, 2022

10:00 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda – program with speakers; vendor booths; pie!

11:30 a.m. on the Capitol Steps – RALLY. Make your voice heard!

RSVP for the Event

Nominate an Outstanding Advocate

Register to be a Vendor

For more information about Arkansas People First, contact Shannon Rivas, Arkansas People First Committee Coordinator, (501) 293-5120 (cell phone); or email shannonrivas.arkansaspeoplefirst@gmail.com. You can also find Arkansas People First on Facebook at ARPeopleFirst. 

If you need help or your rights aren’t being respected, contact Disability Rights Arkansas toll-free at 800-482-1174 or click here.

SPEAK UP ARKANSAS: Disability Visibility in Public Policy airs TONIGHT on KABF 88.3

KABF 88.3 logo: a black background with a yellow shape of the state of Arkansas. In black lettering, the words KABF FM 88.3, Little Rock, AR, on air since '84, with a radio tower motif in black.

The Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy is a new program of Disability Rights Arkansas, aimed at increasing disability visibility in public policy. The Alliance educates and empowers disability advocates, increases community awareness and support of disability-related issues, and fosters collaboration between advocacy programs to give self-advocates, peer advocates, parent advocates, and legislative leaders the tools they need to be active and effective within the disability advocacy movement.

On this month’s episode of Speak Up Arkansas, host Kerri Michael speaks to Alliance Director Ally Thomlinson, along with Self-Advocate Network Development coordinator Michael Thornton and Ashley Simmons, a parent advocate and mom of two young boys. Topics include: How to get involved in public policy as a self-advocate, what makes a successful self-advocate, the importance of being able to make your own decisions, why it’s important to make sure policymakers understand what people with disabilities actually deal with, and more!

As always, you can tune in tonight at 5:00 p.m. on KABF 88.3 FM, livestream at kabf.org, listen anytime on our website, and now, you can watch as well as listen by visiting DRA’s YouTube channel! We’ll be posting our shows there after they air from now on, so be sure to like and SUBSCRIBE to our channel. (We post a lot of great content on our YouTube page, so if you’re not already a subscriber, get on it. You won’t want to miss a thing!)

SHOW NOTES

The Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy provides oversight, administrative support, and technical assistance to three existing advocacy groups:

  • Self-Advocates Network Development (SAND), which provides advocacy training and leadership development to people with disabilities across Arkansas;
  • Community of Champions, which educates high school and college students and faculty on the need for disability advocacy and how to be active in advocacy activities; and
  • Partners in Policymaking, which educates participants on effective ways to develop relationships with elected officials in order to directly influence public policy impacting people with disabilities.

The Alliance is funded through a grant from the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. To get involved, visit DisabilityRightsAR.org/AADA or call (501) 804-8258.