Self Advocacy Support

The UNM LGBTQ Resource Center serves the UNM community by providing education, advocacy, and support through events, trainings, and student groups. The LGBTQ Resource Center was founded in 2010 by students, staff, faculty, and community members to create a space where the LGBTQIA+ community can thrive. Services include educational programming, counseling, HIV testing, library through the LIBROS system (UNM affiliates only), a lounge area, safer sex resources and safe zone training.

Casa Q provides safe living through housing, services and advocacy. Casa Q celebrates and welcomes LGBTQ+ youth and allies and believe that strength and resiliency develops in the youth. Services include culturally appropriate and competent practices. They believe that meaningful participation of LGBTQ youth drive the success of the organization and that providing strength-based services promotes the development of self-efficacy and self-determination.​

Genders & Sexualities Alliances, or GSAs for short, are student-run organizations that unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting them in their schools and communities. GSAs have evolved beyond their traditional role to serve as safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in middle schools and high schools, and have emerged as vehicles for deep social change related to racial, gender, and educational justice. For additional resources go to https://gsanetwork.org/resources/new-mexico-gsa-network-santa-fe-mountain-center/

The New Mexico Center for Self Advocacy is a place where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities go to meet, organize, work and train others on how to improve their quality of life. Their goal is to help and support people with developmental disabilities in becoming empowered, making their own decisions, speaking up for themselves and others, taking control of their own lives, creating awareness about disability issues and achieving maximum independence and quality of life.

New Mexico Allies for Advocacy, Inc. (NM Allies) is a non-profit organization run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. Their mission is to unite and educate the general public about disability issues. NM Allies brings together all stakeholders including self-advocates, advocates, and community members from across the state through social media, conferences and telecommunications. Their results are to improve inclusion, decrease discrimination, enhance quality of life and community participation with full access to effective and qualified communication.

Self-Directed Choices consultants and administration have diverse experience helping to educate, assist, and guide individuals in all areas of New Mexico. They embrace self-direction principles and inclusive communities. Self-Directed Choices promotes the Know Your Rights campaign and provides information to people and their supports. They support persons of all ages. Their consultants are well-versed to serve people who speak Spanish and Navajo.

Best Buddies in New Mexico offers One-to-One Friendship, Integrated Employment, and Leadership Development programs for individuals with and without disabilities. One-to-one friendships between individuals with and without IDD heightens social and emotional development. Integrated employment secures jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), allowing them to earn an income, pay taxes, and continuously and independently support themselves. The leadership programs educate and empower people with and without IDD to become leaders, public speakers and advocates.

Choices ILC assists people with legal rights, personal attendants, accessible housing, money management, education/employment, resource assistance on disability law, equipment and devices, and problem solving. Services include independent living skills training, information and referrals, and individual and systems advocacy. Other services consist of referral for accessible affordable housing, ADA information & related topics, technical assistance and education, and government entities on disability related issues.

San Juan Center for Independence is a community based non-profit agency that was established by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. The Agency serves as a consumer driven community action program that provides services which help maximize independent living choices for all people regardless of the individual’s disability. Necessary Services, Assistive Technology, Housing Recreation Vocational, Opportunities, Transportation, Attendant Services, Legal Rights, Benefits, Counseling, Newsletters, Home Modifications

Founded in 1950, today The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. With more than 140,000 members and 730 state and local chapters nationwide, The Arc is on the front lines to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families have the support they need to be members of the community. The Arc of New Mexico works directly with individuals and their families to insure their quality and choice of life, and also with the New Mexico Legislature, State Agencies, community leaders, providers and other advocates to fight for freedom, choice, respect and dignity.

The New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council will promote advocacy, capacity building, and systemic change to improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. The New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (NMDDPC) consists of three programs including Federal Program, Office of Guardianship, and Center for Self Advocacy. The Federal Program provides funding to design innovative initiatives that promote community inclusion and improve services and supports. The purpose of the Office of Guardianship is to provide guardianship services to income and resource-eligible mentally incapacitated persons over the age of eighteen years. The Center for Self Advocacy service as a hub for self-advocacy and for the citizens statewide to facilitate the inclusion of persons with developmental disabilities in the community and developmental of self-determination skills.

A national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community, advocating for systems change and ensuring that the voices of autistic people are heard in policy debates and the halls of power. Our staff work to advance civil rights, support self-advocacy in all its forms, and improve public perceptions of autism. We work to empower autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us. Policy advocacy toolkits, action alerts.

Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As) work at the state level to protect individuals with disabilities by empowering them and advocating on their behalf. There are 57 P&As in the United States and its territories, and each is independent of service-providing agencies in their states. Find local P&A Agency information at the bottom of this page.