What is the Ambassador Program?
Created in 2014, the Ambassador Program is a unique leadership opportunity designed for high school students, recent graduates, and young adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The program is open to participants aged 14 and up.
The program helps you learn about self-advocacy, understanding your rights, expressing your needs, and speaking up with confidence. As an Ambassador, you’ll build communication and leadership skills that empower you to take an active role in your community.
Through this program, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to become an influential self-advocate and leader, creating positive change for yourself and others.
Become a Leader in 8 Weeks.
- Introduction to Self-Advocacy
- Disability Awareness and Talking About Your Disability
- Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities
- Self-Determination Skills
- Communication Skills: Active Listening and Clear Messaging
- Understanding Your Style (Leadership, Personality, Learning)
- Using Your Strengths and Building Self-Esteem
- Identifying and Overcoming Barriers
- Conflict Resolution Skills
- Goal-Setting and Achievement
- Building and Maintaining Effective Relationships
- Workplace Communication: From Interviews to Performance Management
- Leadership Skills: Characteristics and Types
- Disability Laws: ADA, IDEA, and WIOA
- Negotiation Skills
- Community Resources and Support Networks
What You’ll Experience as an Ambassador.
You’ll be part of a small, supportive group of people who learn and grow together. Over eight weeks, we’ll meet twice a week for three hours, building confidence, friendships, and leadership skills that help you share your story with others.
When your training ends, your impact begins. You’ll take what you’ve learned into the community, speaking about your disability, your education, your work, and the things you enjoy doing. By sharing your story, you’ll help others understand what it means to be a self-advocate and a leader.
You may find yourself speaking at schools, churches, civic groups, or transition fairs, showing everyone the power of your voice.
“If Marshall University was where I first learned networking, public speaking, and community engagement, Kylie Moore’s Ambassador Program was where I learned to refine those skills. This speech is the culmination of my training, thanks to Kylie Moore’s Ambassador Program.”
Eren Niederhoffer
of a child in the G.R.O.W. program
Meet Your Teacher.
I’m Kylie Moore. I am from Roswell, Georgia, living with Cerebral Palsy. I’ve dedicated my career to advocating for the disability community, creating self-advocacy programs, and serving on boards. I founded the Ambassador Program at AADD, received the Tom Miller National Advocacy Award in 2020, and now advise Arts InCommunity. When not teaching, I can be found watching the Georgia Bulldogs or my beloved New England Patriots play football or participating in wheelchair sports.
Want more information about BDI’s Ambassador Program? No problem! Please send your questions to Kylie Moore kylie.moore@bobbydodd.org.