Finding Her Voice: How One Woman’s Experiences Inform a Belleville Agency from Within

Julianne (Julie) Allen is a passionate advocate, educator, and former board member of CVNQuinte—an organization dedicated to ensuring that people receiving support have the power of choice. But Julie is not just an advocate in name; she is also a person who receives services from CVNQuinte, bringing a lived experience that informs her work and fuels her mission.

Her book, This Is How I Want to Be Treated, is a powerful guide that lays out the “rights and responsibilities of people receiving support”, as well as the expectations for support workers and agencies. At its core, her book and her advocacy are about one thing: choice.  

“You have choices. You have rights. And you should know your rights,” Julie says, reflecting on why she wrote the book. “Many times, choices are not always a given.”  

For Julie, choice is not just an idea—it is a right that must be recognized, respected, and exercised.  

Hear Julie’s own reflections in this micro-documentary produced by Lavender Lane Media for CVNQuinte:

You can read more about Julie and other CVNQuinte stories

throughout their site here.