By Erin Vallely, CANDLE Coalition Administrative Assistant
Our peer-led CANDLE coalition is working to prevent and reduce substance misuse within Cortland County’s disability community. Disabilities affect how people see, hear, move, and think. Although some disabilities are easy to see, others, like ADHD and anxiety, are harder to see. As a program of ATI, most of our coalition members have lived experience with disabilities and/or substance misuse and public health.
After wrapping up our second annual community survey in June which focused on substance use rates and patterns within Cortland, we have been working hard behind the scenes to solidify our coalition goals and develop our web presence. After reviewing our data, we have agreed on the three main goals our coalition will be focusing our efforts towards:
- Reduce underage cannabis use among youth with disabilities
- Reduce underage drinking among youth with disabilities
- Reduce binge drinking among adults with disabilities
We plan to tackle these issues through educational campaigns, policy creation, and policy enforcement. We will also work with existing prevention services to ensure they are accessible to everyone, regardless of whether or not they have a disability.
We are also thrilled to announce the launch of our CANDLE Coalition website to the public! It’s now live and filled with information about our work. You’ll find an about page, blog, event calendar, resource page, and lots of ways to get connected and stay involved. Come check it out at https://candlecoalition.org/. We’ll be adding more content soon, so keep checking for new information and ways to get involved.
We can’t wait for you to join us and look forward to connecting soon!