CANSO, Other Self-Advocacy Organizations to Meet With Director Wainwright

Director Leza Wainwright, chief of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, has planned to meet with leaders of three of NC’s self-advocacy organizations, including NC CANSO, in late January. She called for the meeting after learning that consumer organization leaders are in early stages of working together to bring a united consumer Voice to discussions. In a recent telephone conversation with this writer, Ms. Wainwright said that the Division is aware that there are many strong and knowledgeable individuals who have eagerly expressed concerns regarding services. However, it has not been safe for the agency to assume that any one person represents consensus on an issue. She anticipates that organizational efforts by self-advocacy groups will ensure that input given is the result of broader consumer input. The director is eager to discuss processes by which organizations can give their concerns to the Division in ways which are timely and productive. Ms. Wainwright does not diminish the role of Consumer and Family Advisory Committees, but agrees that they have a specific function as advisory committees to LME governing bodies (or to the Division re: LME functions, as in the role of the State CFAC).

Communication with and inclusion of self-advocates and/or consumers are clearly necessary to shape a public system which will have best results in the lives of those who need the services. The issue of inclusion has been front and center on North Carolina's strongest advocacy websight, North Carolina Mental Hope for the past two years..

If the system customers are not satisfied and lives are not improved, then our system simply becomes more costly at the individual level and at the community (not neglecting financial) levels. The internationally known phrase developed by the disability self-advocacy movement, “Nothing about us without us!,” then, makes sense in so many ways!

Meeting with Ms. Wainwright and Mr. Mike Watson, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services over Mental Health, will be Marc Jacques of the NC Mental Health Consumers Organization, Michael Murray of NC Disability Action Network, David Cornwell of NC Mental Hope, and Laurie Coker, of NC CANSO.

The meeting is scheduled for January 27th and may focus on the issue of system-wide and system-deep inclusion and processes for ensuring this. However, if you have specific areas which you feel are priorities for the 2010 year, please email them to Laurie Coker at lauriecoker@bellsouth.net by January 15th. They can be added to a list for discussion among the organizations.

Also, if you are affiliated with any other consumer organizations than those listed above, please let us know so we can reach out to all in time.