Welcome to the Alliance for Full Participation (AFP). AFP is a formal partnership of leading organizations serving the developmental disabilities field that share a common vision- to help create a better and more fulfilling quality of life for people with developmental disabilities. AFP was created in this vision and the hope that through the diversity of our many voices we can collectively achieve this goal.

That people with developmental disabilities and their families realize the promise of integration, productivity, independence and quality of life choices.

To dream, plan, work, mobilize and organize with people with developmental disabilities, their families, and supporting communities and organizations to make the promise of inclusion, integration, productivity, independence and quality of life a reality in policy and practice.

AFP’s member organizations have diverse histories, leadership, members and priorities, but they are ultimately working toward the same end. In 2005, AFP hosted a Summit around the theme, “Many Voices, One Vision.” For the first time in history, our organizations came together to host a national Summit to create a social agenda and action plan for fulfilling its mission. Over 2,400 people gathered in Washington, DC to help craft a strategic policy and social agenda in support of full participation, and to carry forward and implement that agenda in their communities.

In the fall of 2011, AFP will once again host a Summit, this time focused on making fully integrated employment a reality for all people with disabilities. Leading up to the Summit, AFP will sponsor national and state-wide town halls and other initiatives to make our employment vision a reality.

Employment expectations for individuals with developmental disabilities will be the same as those for people without disabilities. Education settings will assist in raising these expectations by providing information, supports and job experiences to all students./

In all instances the individual will be the focus of the employment process. Discovering interests, experiences and skills are important facets of the job search. Customization, choice and individualized and natural supports help ensure job satisfaction and retention. Career development will be a consideration throughout the job process.

Employment will be in regular, competitive and inclusive employment settings. Frequent and ongoing interactions and the development of relationships are expected. Compensation will be at least minimum wage, up to the prevailing wage for the work performed. Wages and benefits will be comparable to coworkers performing similar tasks.

There are five key areas of importance related to full participation: employment, education, housing, transportation and personal safety. Think about how important these issues are in life and the role they play in how we define ourselves and measure our successes.

Full participation is our goal. Working together, our organizations and our communities can successfully create and bring public awareness to the importance of employment of people with developmental disabilities. With your help, we can work to make a difference by focusing on employment and the factors that contribute to job retention (education, housing, transportation and personal safety). We will do th is by learning from the successes that many people with developmental disabilities have achieved in employment and examining the policies and supports that resulted in positive changes in the employment status in communities and at the state and national levels.

The inspiring stories highlighted in the links below should remind us that we can make a difference and that the differences we make—while they may seem small to us—will change people’s lives in remarkable ways.

• Employment
• Housing
• Transportation
• Education
• Personal Safety