Speak Up!
It’s easier than you think.
The Speak Up Center is for everyone.
People with disabilities, family members, community members, professionals, allied organizations and legislators can use these resources to learn, understand an issue more deeply, or find information and tools they need.
Whether you are learning for the first time or already have experience, you can find clear information and practical tools to help you understand an issue, speak up, and share your story with confidence.
Legislators and staff can also use the toolkits to better understand disability issues and how policies affect real lives.
You are the expert on your own life and experiences. You can talk about what works, what frustrates you, your needs, and what you want others to understand. You do not have to know laws, policies, or statistics to share your story.
If you can share your story with a neighbor…
you can share it with a legislator.
Why stories matter
Personal stories can help people understand how policies affect real lives. Research shows that stories can influence attitudes, help people connect an issue to real life, and build support for public policies. Personal stories have also made a difference in disability-rights history, including the movement that led to the ADA.
Sources / Learn more
When legislators hear your story, it helps them understand what their decisions mean in real life—for people, families, and communities.
How the Speak Up Center works
Speak Up → Hub → Toolkit → Units
Speak Up
Start here and choose a topic you want to explore.
Hub
Get a general overview of a broader topic and see the toolkits available for specific issues.
Toolkit
Explore one specific issue in more detail, with clear explanations and practical tools.
Units
Toolkits are broken into smaller Units. Go in order or use the Table of Contents to jump directly to the section you need.
Each Toolkit includes more than one kind of support.
Toolkits bring together clear explanations, background, current developments, stories, and practical tools—all in one place. Learn at your own pace and use what you need, including meeting guides, contact information, sample emails and scripts, handouts, and help sharing your story.
Which Hub would you like to explore?
Choose a topic below. Each Hub gives you an overview and connects you to toolkits about specific issues.
Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Hub
Services and supports that help people with disabilities and older adults live in their homes and communities.
What is HCBS?
Current Priorty Toolkits in this Hub:
- Protecting and Strengthening Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Toolkit
- More focused toolkits coming soon
Inclusive Education Hub
Students with disabilities learning, participating, and belonging in general education alongside their peers, with the supports they need.
What is Inclusive Education?
Inclusive education means students with disabilities have a sense of belonging, actively participate in the classes and activities they would be in if they did not have a disability, and receive the supports and services they need to successfully achieve their individual goals.
Curent Priority Toolkits in this Hub:
- Protect Inclusive Education
- More Inclusive Education toolkits coming soon
Want to practice?
Practice With PennTASH
Prepare with confidence before meeting with legislators, speaking to the media, presenting to community groups, or sharing your story.
→ Learn About Practice With PennTASH
Why PennTASH Created the Speak Up Center
We believe meaningful change begins with understanding.
We are living through a pivotal moment for disability rights. Decisions are being made that can affect where people live, the services and education they receive, the civil rights protections they rely on, and whether they can fully participate in their communities. These issues are often complex, and misinformation can make them even harder to understand.
PennTASH believes everyone deserves the opportunity to understand the issues that affect their lives and the lives of others. We also believe the people most affected by public policy should have a strong voice in shaping it.
The Speak Up Center is designed to remove barriers to learning, build confidence, and provide the knowledge and practical tools people need to understand complex issues, share their stories, and help create meaningful change.