About SAIL
SAIL is a community-driven organization focused on fostering leadership and advocacy among people with disabilities across Pennsylvania. Our group is designed by and for individuals with disabilities, ensuring that the support we provide is both relevant and impactful.
Our Mission and Values
SAIL provides training and support for and by Pennsylvanians with disabilities to become strong agents for change.
Empowerment: Giving disabled people the confidence, skills, and support they need to take control of their own lives.
Support: Providing needed help and resources.
Advocacy: Encouraging people to help make change
Inclusion: Making sure disabled people can share their views
What we Offer
At SAIL, we offer a variety of opportunities tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals with disabilities.
- Leadership Training: Comprehensive trainings that cover public speaking, policy analysis, and community organizing.
- Advocacy Workshops: Hands-on sessions that teach the essentials of advocacy, from understanding legal rights to effective communication strategies.
- A Peer Support Network: A chance to connect with others facing similar challenges, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.
SAIL Blog Posts
Make a Difference for People with Disabilities Through Civic Engagement
When you’re a person with a disability, it can often feel like you don’t have a say in your own life. You may be dependent on your parents or caregivers to do basic tasks. You may not have much of a choice where you live or who helps you. But you have more power than you think you do. You can help shape your own life and the lives of others through a process called civic engagement.
What is civic engagement? The American Psychological Association defines civic engagement as “individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern.” This means taking action, on your own or with a group, to improve life in your community. “Your community” could be as small as your town or county, or as big as your state or country. Civic engagement can be large or small.
There are many ways to do civic engagement. You can write a letter to your city council about inaccessible sidewalks in your community. You can meet with legislators and encourage them to pass a certain bill. You can even run for political office yourself! One of the easiest ways to do civic engagement is to vote!
Right now, we’re getting ready to vote in the presidential election but other (down ballot) races are just as important as the presidency. You can vote by mail (absentee voting) or in person at a polling place. Before you vote, check to make sure you’re registered to vote. Next, research the candidates. Make a note of where candidates stand on issues you care about, including issues relevant to the disability community, like home care, healthcare, and disability benefits. You can do this by looking at the candidates’ websites, watching debates, and going to town halls with the candidates. In Pennsylvania, SAIL and REV-UP PA gathered information on the regional candidates. The American Association of People with Disabilities has some great resources on voting with a disability.
Civic engagement is like a toolbox with many tools. You can pick and choose the tools that you want to use the most and that you think will be the most effective! By participating in civic engagement, you can discover your voice to make life better for you and other people with disabilities.
Written By Cara Liebowitz
The Bettering Others: Advocacy Talks (BOAT) Podcast
Join members of SAIL for The BOAT Podcast, where members discuss their experience as a disabled person and the issues that are important to the disability community in Pennsylvania. Episodes uploaded at least monthly.
Episode 5: Holiday Episode
Episode 4: Housing
On this episode members of SAIL talk about the concerns people with disabilities have as it relates to accessible housing.
Episode 3: Home and Community Based Services
On this episode members of SAIL talk about Home and Community Based Services and it’s impact their ability to thrive and survive.
Episode 2: Paid Family Medical Part Two
On this episode of The BOAT members of SAIL continue to discuss their perspective on Paid Family Medical Leave and how having access to a PFML program would have helped them and their family members throughout their lives as people with disabilities.
Episode 1: Paid Family Medical Leave
On this episode of The BOAT members of SAIL discuss their perspective on Paid Family Medical Leave and how having access to a PFML program would have helped them and their family members throughout their lives as people with disabilities.