Brief overview:
- Self-advocacy means taking responsibility for telling others what you need and want in a respectful and direct way. Anyone can be a self-advocate
- This article will share ways to learn and practice self-advocacy.
- It will share ways you can get involved in your community and how being a good self-advocate can help you do that.
If you have ever defended your rights or the rights of other people, you were acting as an advocate. Self-advocacy means taking responsibility for telling others what you need and want in a respectful and direct way. Anyone can be a self-advocate. Speaking up for yourself or someone else can help you be independent, and in charge of decisions for your life. However, it’s not always an easy thing to learn to do. It takes time and practice. This article will share ways to learn and practice self-advocacy. It will share ways you can get involved in your community and how being a good self-advocate can help you do that.
When you might need to be a self-advocate:
- In your IEP meeting if you are in high school
- When you ask for accommodations in high school or college
- Asking for accommodations on the job
- Asking for assistance and accommodations so you can be involved in your community
- At a medical appointment
Things you need to know to become a better self-advocate:
- Understand your civil rights and responsibilities
- Know about the topic you are speaking about
- Listen to other people and think about what they are saying
- Make decisions based on what you need or want
- Know that it’s ok to change your mind
- Know that it’s ok to make mistakes
- Express your feelings clearly and calmly
- Ask to be always treated with dignity and respect
- Learn to be assertive without being aggressive or disrespectful
Nemours TeensHealth has resources that can help you practice self-advocacy by being assertive. Assertiveness is the ability to speak up for yourself in a way that is honest and respectful. The articles have a built-in listening app (ReadSpeaker) to hear articles instead of reading them.
One way to help meetings and discussions be calm and respectful is to ask for meetings to be a “gracious space”. “Gracious space” is about people meeting together in person or online. It has a lot in common with being a good self-advocate. “Gracious space” is a way to describe how meetings and discussions can include people, and how people can behave during a meeting.
- If the meeting is in-person, the physical meeting space is accessible for people with all types of disabilities. If it is online, the people setting up the meeting make sure the online platform is accessible for people with all types of disabilities.
- People feel safe in the meeting. This means everyone treats everyone else with dignity and respect. Make an agreement about how everyone at the meeting will behave with each other.
- People in the meeting are willing to listen and think about different opinions
- The people in the meeting get to know each other
Learn more about Gracious Space:
Person Centered Planning:
Your person-centered plan, if you have one, can help you find ways to be involved in your community. Your person-centered plan team can help you practice being a self-advocate with people you already know and trust. If you don’t have a person-centered plan, and are interested in how they work, here are links to information from PAVE: What is Person Centered Planning?
PAVE has programs and resources to help individuals build and strengthen self-advocacy skills.
- The Parent Training and Information Program (PTI) isn’t just for parents! PAVE staff in this program help parents, teens, and young adults know about their rights and responsibilities in school, and after high school when you get a job or go to college.
- Family to Family Health Information Center website has a section called “Youth” that has many resources to help you be a self-advocate for your own health care, as a teen and as you get older.
Ways to get involved in your community, including people with and people without disabilities
- What are you interested in? Here are some ideas:
- Work with other people to change government policies and advocate for people with disabilities
- Volunteer for a cause you believe in
- Share what life is like living with a disability with other people with your type of disability
- Careers and businesses that can work well for people with disabilities.
- Friendship and socializing with other people with disabilities
- Join a club or group to do activities you like, such as sports or crafts or music or board games or movies
When you join a group or talk with someone in a group you are interested in, you can use your self-advocacy skills to make sure that people in the group or program can give you assistance, accommodations if you need them, and treat you with respect.
You can find groups and organizations that do all these things on social media!
Social media gives you ways to meet people through online groups, if you have difficulty with in-person activities. You can check if a group or organization is disability-friendly in their profile. Remember to use social media safely!
You can also do an internet search using terms like “disability organizations in [name of state or town]. And of course, you can ask your family and friends and, if you have one, the people on your person-centered plan team!
Becoming a strong self-advocate is important for successful independence and healthy living as an adult in your community. Always remember there are many people who are ready and willing to help you, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for assistance along the way!