How do I Self-Advocate?
You can advocate for yourself by becoming involved in planning for your future. Self-advocacy happens when can recognize your strengths and weaknesses and explain your disability to yourself and to others. You can self-advocate by recognizing what helps you reach your goals. When you speak up when you need something or when you speak up about something that you feel isn't right or fair you are self-advocating. You can advocate for yourself by standing up for what you want in order to be happy and successful. Learning how to be more independent is a path to self-advocacy.
Seven Steps to Self-Advocacy1. Learn about your disability and be able to define and explain it to yourself and others.
2. Find out what interferes with your success in or outside of school. 3. Participate in your IEP Meeting. 4. Explore the options and accommodations that are available to you in and outside of school. 5. Have a backup plan or a list of alternatives if your accommodation requests are denied. 6. Practice asking for what you need in a nonconfrontational manner. 7. Evaluate, revise, and rework as needed. |
Get involved in Planning for Your FutureThe following steps for being your own advocate in high school come from the National Center for Learning Disabilities:
*Attend your IEP meetings and make sure the specific accommodations you need are listed in the plan *Set goals for yourself that are realistic. Find out as much as possible about the various choices that are available to you. *Know what your strengths and challenges are. *Request that your school updates your IEP before you leave the school so it will have the most current info about you listed. If you are going to college or are in college: *Make sure you can document your disability *Know your rights to participation in programs and activities at college and the accommodations that you can access there. *Meet with advisors to talk about your interests and challenges and any specific support you need. |