Advocate (Texas) - Best Buddies International

Best Buddies offers many ways to advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). You can share social media posts, photos, and videos to spread awareness. You can tell your personal story to inspire others. You can also encourage local businesses to hire people with IDD. Ready-made captions, profile pictures, and links to helpful resources are included to make it easy to get started.

You can have a profoundly positive impact on the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). When you help Best Buddies enhance the lives of this underserved group of individuals, you contribute to the creation of a more inclusive world for all. There are so many ways you can advocate for the Best Buddies mission – find one (or more) that are right for you from the suggestions below! Social media is a powerful tool for spreading our mission of inclusion. Below, we’ve compiled a set of images, videos and captions you can use to help spread awareness for Best Buddies. Photos: Videos: See more at youtube.com/bestbuddies. Captions: General Support Join me in support of @bestbuddies - the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Learn more at bestbuddies.org. Join Best Buddies and help expand their mission of inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities! Learn more at bestbuddies.org. Friendship Focused Everybody Needs a Best Buddy! ❤️  Get involved today at bestbuddies.org. To the world, you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world. Join Best Buddies and help end the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Leadership Focused Best Buddies offers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to gain the public speaking skills, self-esteem and confidence needed to become strong advocates for themselves and their peers. Learn more at bestbuddies.org. Jobs Focused Did you know that 81% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) do not have a paid job in their community? Best Buddies Jobs helps people with IDD find and maintain competitive and meaningful employment. Learn more at bestbuddies.org/jobs. Don't let dreams remain dreams. Unlock someone’s potential by sponsoring, hiring or mentoring a buddy today at bestbuddies.org. Let’s commit to building a more inclusive workplace. Hire people with intellectual and developmental disabilities today! To get started, visit bestbuddies.org/jobs Living Focused Best Buddies Living fosters an integrated experience for people with and without IDD to become active, contributing citizens who live independently in a dynamic environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive. Learn more at bestbuddies.org/living. Profile Pictures: Change your profile picture and/or cover photo to promote the Best Buddies mission of friendship, jobs, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities amongst your social networks. What drives your passion for improving the quality of life for people with IDD with Best Buddies? Tell us how your involvement in the disability rights movement and the organization has impacted your life so that we can share your story and inspire others to get involved. The more personal and powerful it is, the more likely you are to create change! Whether you’re a CEO, employee, parent, child or friend, you can advocate for the hiring of people with IDD. Share this compelling Jobs study with executives and hiring managers at your workplace or local businesses within your community and educate them about the untapped talent available within the IDD community! Refer them to the Best Buddies Jobs program for more information on how to start hiring today! Spread the word for inclusion in your community, school, or workplace all year round. Learn more at bestbuddies.org/spread-the-word. A wide variety of informative resources are available for people with IDD, their families and caregivers: Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Disability.gov Interactive Autism Network Job Accomodation Network National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) National Disability Rights Network National Fragile X Foundation Office of Disability Employment Policy Project Search The Arc Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Best Buddies in Texas Office Directory CHANGE LOCATION

- Visit bestbuddies.org/texas/advocate to browse ready-made social media posts and images. - Copy a caption and share it on your social media today. - Update your profile picture using Best Buddies' free themed frames. - Write down your personal connection to the IDD community and submit your story to Best Buddies. - Share the Best Buddies Jobs program link with a hiring manager or business owner you know. - Explore bestbuddies.org/spread-the-word to find more ways to promote inclusion year-round.