Your Voice Helps Others Find Theirs
Peer Power Ambassadors are trained, paid peer educators who bring self-advocacy and transition skills directly into Alaska's classrooms — through lived experience, not a textbook.
This is leadership. This is advocacy. And you are paid to do work that genuinely changes lives.
Disability Innovation Fund — Ambassador Program
The contents of this publication were developed under grant number H421E230020 under the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. §§ 1221e-3 and 3474.)
Why this Exists
Students Deserve to Hear From People Like You
Students with disabilities deserve to hear from people with lived experience — people who've navigated IEPs, transition planning, employment, and adulthood with a disability. Not just professionals. Peers.
As an Ambassador, you'll teach students how to make real decisions about their own futures, advocate in the rooms that matter, and believe that their voice is worth using.
This program exists because peer-led self-advocacy is something Alaska believes in — and invests in through the Disability Innovation Fund.
🗣️Voice
Students with disabilities deserve to hear from people with lived experience — people like you
🔑 Choice
You'll teach students how to make real decisions about their own futures.
🏆Leadership
This training prepares you to lead that message — confidently, professionally, and powerfully.
Schools & Locations Visited
📍 Juneau, AK
1 middle school + 1 high school
March 2026 — in-person
📍 Kenai Peninsula, AK
KPBSD Hybrid Presentation
April 2026 — hybrid
📍 Statewide Summit
55 self-advocates + partners
April 2026 — Peer Power Summit
Additional outreach made to Anchorage School District (ASD), Mat-Su Borough (MSBSD), and rural districts for Year Two scheduling.
Upcoming School Presentations
No Presentation is scheduled at this time
Training Content
What Students Learn
Our peer-led curriculum covers six core areas, grounded in lived experience and designed for accessibility.
💬
Self-Advocacy Foundations
Know yourself, know your rights, use your voice. Students learn how to speak up in IEP meetings, request accommodations, and set healthy boundaries.
🔄
Transition Realities
Life after high school — new systems, choices, and independence. We help students reframe disability as a source of strength, not a barrier.
⚖️
Rights & the Law
Students learn the protections they have in school, work, and community — and how to use that knowledge when they advocate.
💼
Employment & Benefits
Myths vs. facts about working with a disability. We partner with DB101 to help students and families plan confidently without fear of losing benefits
🌱
Leadership Development
Your voice matters right now. Self-advocacy is a lifelong leadership skill — and we believe students don't have to wait to start leading.
🌍
Culture & Identity
Your background is a strength, not a barrier. Traditional skills and cultural knowledge belong in transition plans and belong in your future.
COLLABRATION
Grant Partners
DEED
Grant oversight, coordination, and accountability
GCDSE
Disability systems coordination and policy
SILC
Youth leadership and independent living
CHD
Transition planning and benefits education
SAIL
Work-based learning and independence skills
PEER POWER
Peer-led self-advocacy and leadership development
Our Role
