0 Get to the Core of it: Individual Advocacy A National Webinar/Teleconference Presented by: Greg Jones & Brad Brooks Wednesday June 9, :00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT CIL-NET Presents…

1 Get to the Core of it: Individual Advocacy A National Webinar/Teleconference Presented by: Greg Jones & Brad Brooks Wednesday June 9, :00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT CIL-NET Presents…

2 Introduction People with disabilities experience wide range of barriers that can present in any arena that involves simply “living free” These barriers include a wide array of bureaucracies, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, HUD or any other state federal system What follows is what works for our CUSTOMERS

3 Overview of Program at SKIL Customers!!!! Listen, Listen, Listen! Listen? Empathy is essential Build trust and understanding Research the problem

4 Overview of Program at SKIL, cont’d. Prepare Execute Build “Believify” “Dreamify”

5 Systems Knowledge Precursor to individual advocacy – –Awareness is key Examples – –Know all systems involved – –Understand the workings and complexities of bureaucracies – –Know someone within each bureaucracy – –Go Country? Get to know folks.

6 Show Empathy Empathy: “ the ability to imagine oneself in another’s place and understand the other’s feelings, desires, ideas, and actions”, or “seeing a situation through someone else’s eyes”. Be human Be a peer Feel the pain Feel the anxiety Feel the crisis

7 Build Mutual Trust Be a friend Don’t “over-professionalize” Remove intimidation factors Interact with other customers or co-workers as you prepare to act with a new customer

8 Research the Problem Research at SKIL – –Online – –Manual – –Know somebody – –Relationships, relationships, relationships?

9 Prepare for Visit with Customer Go retail Go Country Go Charlie Olson

10 Execute Get what the customer needs? Get what the customer wants -- neither is your decision! Politically correct Stomp on toes

Got questions? 11 Questions & Answers

12 Behind the Scenes at SKIL Relationships! Relationships! Relationships? Each person at SKIL builds and maintains relationships with important contacts Let co-workers do what they do best. You do the rest. Focus on trust and integrity

13 Behind the Scenes at SKIL, cont’d. Unwritten expectation is to be accountable and own your mistakes Excuses to the customer: Unacceptable Apologies: On the mark Be responsible. Learn how to Apologize.

14 Get in the Mud or go off the Cliff You must provide support You may be the only support available You expect customers to follow your lead, but learn how to follow your customers It may be difficult; you may have to get aggressive. Example

15 Hand Holding to Freedom “I’ll do that with you and/or for you” It might take baby steps, but you help your customers let go Barrier is that sometimes it’s quicker to do it for the customer rather than with Draw a map to freedom Example

16 Empowering self-advocates Nurture one-on-one relationships Introduce them to the network Hand holding Nudge folks to increased responsibilities Congratulations are in order Recognitions

17 People First, Paper Last Open door policy – –Confusing, chaotic, not orderly, its real, it’s our culture Center should be a safe place for all people Be accessible to customers Trust the Network – do not design the network Allow the Network to grow Be a link

18 Don’t be afraid to get burned or embarrassed People will take advantage of your good nature Try not to be judgmental Leave your personal morals and judgment at the door Be available beyond the norm Trust the network

19 “Believify” You must believe in the abilities of the customer to succeed Do not question. Just believe. Blind faith.

20 “Dreamify” Everybody has dreams Never steal anyone’s dreams Body completes the picture the mind paints

Got questions? 21 Questions & Answers

Wrap Up and Evaluation Click the link below now to complete an evaluation of today’s program found at:

CIL-NET Support for development of this Webinar/teleconference was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration under grant number H132B No official endorsement of the Department of Education should be inferred. Permission is granted for duplication of any portion of this PowerPoint presentation, providing that the following credit is given to the project: Developed as part of the CIL-NET, a program of the IL NET, an ILRU/NCIL/APRIL National Training and Technical Assistance Project.