Featured Self-Advocate
Cathy Jo Edwards
KYSAFF Board Secretary
Cathy Jo Edwards was born in Lexington, Kentucky. She is a 1987 graduate of Montgomery County High School and is currently employed as a Receptionist at the Rowan County Court House.
She enjoys reading, painting crafts, writing poetry, talking on the telephone, making friends and watching comedy.
Cathy has been involved with Protection & Advocacy since 2001. She is an especially strong advocate when working to support the rights of others with disabilities. She has also been involved with the Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Cathy's first experience in self-advocacy came when she contacted Pathways to request assistance in leaving home. Cathy later found it necessary to contact legal aide to find an attorney to represent her in a case to support her claim to her mother's home, which she had been sharing and assisting to make payments on, prior to her mother's death.
Contacting an attorney became necessary after family members destroyed her mother's original will. Cathy's uncle helped her get a copy of the will from the courthouse, and her claim to the home was finally approved. In 2005, she was approved for a Supported Living Grant, and has been working to return to her own home.
Cathy is currently seeking Personal Care Attendants (PCAs), a necessary step to making this transition.
Since then, Cathy became involved in Kentucky Self-Advocates for Freedom, Inc. (KYSAFF), and serves as Secretary to the Board of Directors. She has also become a member of the Kentucky House Bill 144 Committee.
Recently, Cathy Jo Edwards was among those interviewed for a video to promote Consumer Directed Options for the Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation (DMHMR).
