Why Advocacy Matters for People with Disabilities

Introduction (from The Arc of North Dakota)

During Disability Awareness Month, The Arc of North Dakota is highlighting voices from across our state who are working to advance inclusion, opportunity, and equity for people with disabilities. Throughout March, we will share guest perspectives from advocates, community leaders, and individuals helping shape a more inclusive North Dakota.

We are pleased to feature a guest post from Julie Horntvedt, Executive Director of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities. In this piece, she reflects on why advocacy remains essential to ensuring that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the opportunity to live, work, and participate fully in their communities.

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Guest Post by Julie Horntvedt

Executive Director, North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities

Julie Horntvedt, Executive Director of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities

Advocating for people with disabilities is not simply a matter of policy or programming; it is a matter of equity, dignity, and community strength. As the Director of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities, I see every day how advocacy shapes opportunities, opens doors, and ensures that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live, work, and participate fully in their communities. This work is essential because it affirms a truth that should guide every system and every decision: people with disabilities deserve the same respect, expectations, and opportunities as anyone else.

Advocacy matters because it challenges long‑standing barriers that still limit access to education, employment, housing, transportation, and community life. Many of these barriers are not the result of a person’s disability, but of systems that were not built with people with disabilities in mind. When we advocate, we are not asking for special treatment, we are asking for fairness. We are asking for communities, services, and policies that recognize the value and potential of every person. This work is also important because it amplifies voices that have historically been overlooked. People with disabilities are experts in their own lives, and their lived experience must shape the systems that serve them. Advocacy ensures that individuals and families are not only heard but respected as partners in decision‑making. When people with disabilities lead, communities become stronger, more inclusive, and more responsive to real needs. The Council’s role is to support that leadership, build capacity, and create pathways for meaningful participation. Advocacy is also a safeguard. It ensures that rights are protected, that services remain accountable, and that policies evolve as needs change. Without strong advocacy, inequities can deepen, and people can be left without the supports they need to thrive. Our work helps ensure that North Dakota’s systems remain focused on independence, self‑direction, and community inclusion, values that benefit not only people with disabilities but the entire state. Most importantly, advocating for people with disabilities is about believing in possibility. It is about recognizing that every person has gifts to contribute and that our communities are better when everyone belongs. When we push for accessible transportation, inclusive education, competitive integrated employment, or person‑centered services, we are not just improving systems, we are expanding opportunity. We are creating a North Dakota where people with disabilities can pursue their goals, make their own choices, and live the lives they want. Advocacy is not a one‑time effort; it is ongoing, evolving, and deeply human. It requires listening, learning, and a willingness to say yes to new ideas and better ways of doing things. It requires collaboration across agencies, families, professionals, and, most importantly, self‑advocates. And it requires a

commitment to the belief that inclusion is not optional; it is essential.This is why the work of the ND DD Council matters. This is why advocacy matters. Because when people with disabilities are included, empowered, and supported, our communities are stronger, our systems are fairer, and our future is brighter.

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The Arc of North Dakota appreciates the partnership of organizations and leaders across our state who work to advance the rights, inclusion, and opportunities of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.