As citizens of Nevada, we have the right to make our own decisions and to live self-determined lives. The self-advocacy movement in Nevada began when a group of people with developmental disabilities decided to meet together to discuss self-advocacy and self-determination. Self-advocates joined forces with the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED) in 2003. The NCED wrote a grant to t
he Corporation for National & Community Service to fund five self-advocates to serve as VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) members to organize local People First chapters around the state and to help create a statewide People First organization. Through these efforts, People First of Nevada officially started in May, 2003. People First of Nevada received its 501(c)3 designation in 2005. There are currently active chapters in Reno/Sparks, Carson City, Las Vegas, Fernley, Fallon, Elko and Winnemucca as well as a statewide board. Members are involved in local issues in their communities and offer testimony and legislative advocacy to create positive systemic changes for people with disabilities in Nevada. This publication is supported by the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities through grant funds from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Children and Families CFDA # 93.630. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NGCDD or Administration on Developmental Disabilities”.
