Abbott Philson
Discipline: Self-Advocate
About: Abbott Philson has spent almost a decade working on disability advocacy and policy issues. He has sought out leadership and advocacy opportunities to further his experience and expertise. Abbott is a past recipient of the Page Barton Award for his leadership and promotion of self-advocacy across the state of Maine. Abbott put this experience to work on the executive committee and board of Speaking Up for Us (SUFU), the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, the HCBS Workgroup and the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association. Since 2019, he has represented self-advocates on the HCBS stakeholder group. Abbott participated in the SUFU Leadership Development Program and has served as the Chair of the SUFU Chapter Representative Committee. Since 2002, Abbott has served on the Prader-Willi Syndrome Advisory Board and has been Board Co-chair since 2018. Abbott’s favorite part about being a part of the SUFU board is having the privilege of representing SUFU members. Serving and advocating for children and adults with disabilities has been a goal of Abbott’s. Abbott’s goal is to work with the LGBTQ community within the disability community and unite with other LGBTQ without disabilities in the performance of “You Will Be Found” so LGBTQ people with disabilities can know they are not alone.
