VOCAL

ALL ABOUT ADVOCACY

VOCAL has some exciting plans for the upcoming legislative session. Read VOCAL's Public Policy Statement.

PEERS AT THE TABLE
This link will connect you to a list of people in mental health recovery who are serving on mental health decision-making and planning boards and committees across Virginia.

ADVOCACY TEAM
The VOCAL Advocacy Team educates legislators about the needs and interests of people who have been diagnosed with mental illnes in Virginia. Our team monitors legislation under consideration and carries the message of VOCAL's values, mission and agenda to the public and our law makers. If you are interested in participating in this please contact Bonnie Neighbour, Advocacy Coordinator for VOCAL, at bonnie@vocalvirginia.org, or at our office at 804-343-1777. 
 
KNOW YOUR LINGO
Being an effective advocate means being able to talk the talk, as well as walk the walk. Many names of organizations are shortened into acronyms and these acronyms are used in regular speech. For someone who is new to advocacy, and for someone who is old to it, understanding what people are referring to when they use acronyms can get confusing. Click here for a list of commonly used acronyms in mental health advocacy in Virginia and what their definitions are.
 
KNOW YOUR VOTING RIGHTS
The following question appears on the Virginia Voter Registration form, "Have you ever been judged mentally incapacitated?" If the answer is yes, it then asks if competency has been restored. It is important to understand that being involuntarily committed to a mental health facility is not the same as being judged incompetent. Your voting rights remain intact. It makes a difference when people who experience mental health challenges let their voices be heard. Voting is a key way to speak up. Involuntary and voluntary mental health treatment does not take away your right to vote. Virginia law revokes the right to vote for those who are judged incompetent. However, voting rights are reinstated once a court restores a person to competency. The incompetence process is a specific legal action that a very small percentage of people go through. (information from Mary McQuown)
 
KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS
An important part of being an advocate is knowing who the legislators that represent you are so that you can direct your questions and concerns to the right person. To find out who represents your area and how to get in contact with them please follow this link: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform.
 
TRACK BILLS/PROPOSED LEGISLATION ON YOUR OWN
You can see the most up-to-date information about current legislation online. The Virginia General Assembly's website: http://leg1.state.va.us/, has information about exactly where a bill you are interested in tracking is located in the general assembly and what progress it has made. Another website that some find more user-friendly is www.richmondsunlight.com, this site also tracks bills in the general assembly but does not yield as much information.
 
ADVOCATE FROM YOUR HOME
During the legislative season many newspapers run articles, letters, editorials, and editorial cartoons about mental illness. Some of these published items are friendly towards consumers, some are not. This presents an opportunity to do some advocacy work from your home. If you see something in the paper that you support or something you oppose, consider writing a letter to the editor. Some Virginia newspapers’ contact information for Letters is included at the end of this page. Tips for Writing Letters-to-the-Editor:Submit your letter in a timely manner about a timely topic. Don’t let too much time slip by – news gets old fast.If possible, link your letter to something published recently in the paper (either a news item or another letter-to-the-editor) and respond as quickly as you can.Keep it focused on one main point, concise and informative. Editorial space is limited. A shorter letter has a better chance of getting printed. Word limit is about 200 words per letter but check the paper for guidelines. Find out the publication’s guidelines (length, letters/writer, signers/letter) and stick to them.Be firm but polite: make your case without insults or rants. Don’t engage in personal attacks on reporters or other letter-writers. Write with the assumption that readers know nothing about your topic. Don’t use acronyms or “industry lingo” that only a few will understand. Use talking points that may be provided to you but don’t rely too much on them – always personalize.Always proof read your letter before sending it. Recruit your friends and colleagues to send in letters as well--the more letters submitted on a topic, the better the chance of one of you getting published.If you hold a position include that with your signature (ex. Affiliate President) to add credibility. It increases the chance that you’ll get published.

When you submit your letter, always include your full name, address and phone number. This information will not be published but many publications will contact you to verify your identity before printing a letter. Also be sure to sign your letter unless submitted over e-mail. Richmond Times-Dispatch: letters@timesdispatch.com Freelance Star (Fredericksburg): letters@freelancestar.comWashington Post: letters@washpost.com Virginian Pilot: letters@pilotonline.com Daily Progress (Charlottesville): letters@dailyprogress.com Daily Press: online form available at www.dailypress.com in the Opinions section Roanoke Times: Karen.trout@roanoke.com News and Advance (Lynchburg): Online form available at www.newsadvance.com in the Opinion section. Daily News Record (Harrisonburg): Online form available at www.dnronline.com in the Opinion section.

Did you get a letter published? Be sure to let others know: send it to bonnie@vocalvirginia.org and consider sending it to your state representatives.
 

Five ways you can get involved in advocating for Mental Health Issues:
 
1) Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper (as described in detail above).
 
2) If you are in the Richmond area, or want to travel into the area for a day, there are always meetings right now that can be attended. If you attend a meeting you may have an opportunity to speak to an issue. If you don’t get an opportunity, or choose not to, speak, your presence is still valuable at these meetings to keep an eye on what different legislators are saying about mental health issues.
 
3) In your home district you can contact your own legislators and let them know about Recovery and how you feel about various issues before the legislature. This is important to do while the General Assembly is in session, but it’s also very important to do throughout the year.
 
4) From your home district, or really from anywhere, you can watch the newspapers for articles, editorials, letters to the editor, and editorial cartoons about mental health issues and forward links to them to the VOCAL office.
 
5) Rally your peers to be doing the same things that have been suggested here. Talk one-on-one with peers. Create a work group around an issue and approach your local legislators together.
 
When you do something, let us know. We can build off of what you’ve done through the year when the legislators are in session here in Richmond. Besides, it’s just nice to hear what our peers are doing across the state and we can mention your activities on the website or in the newsletter. We think it’s easier to take action on things if you see others are doing the same thing. Send us a brief email at network@vocalvirginia.org. Thanks for anything you can do right now to help.