ABSTRACT
In 1990, self-advocates met in Estes Park, Colorado, for the First North American People First Conference. At that meeting, a steering committee was formed to plan for the establishment of a national organization to unify the state and local chapters and exert political influence at the national level. Members of Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) positioned it as an organization within the Disability Rights Movement, not as a charity to help people with disabilities or as an offshoot of a professional or parent organization. They took care to ensure that people with disabilities, not professionals, would provide its leadership. Any person with a disability could join as a voting member of the organization, whereas people without disabilities could join only as non-voting members. Person-centered planning was designed to serve as a starting point for the provision of individualized support by assisting people with disabilities in defining, planning for, and pursuing their desired futures, including housing arrangements, employment, relationships, and leisure activities.
