1. Self-Determination & Self-Advocacy: Essential Skills for ALL Students
Kokomo Schools
June, 2015

2. Learner Objectives Self Reflection
Develop a working definition of self-determination & self-advocacy
Review classroom activities to promote self-determination
Consider how to measure self-determination and self-advocacy
Identify strategies to involve students in IEP or conference meetings

3. Let’s consider… True/False Questions
One of the primary goals of education is to help students plan and prepare for the rest of their lives.
This planning and preparation is especially important for students with disabilities.

4. Yes/No Questions
1. Do I encourage my students to make choices and decisions on a day-to-day basis?
2. Do I honor the choices and decisions that my students make?
3. Do I actively involve my students in their own family-school or IEP conferences?
4. Do I include self-determination goals in my students’ IEPs or student plans?
5. Do I know how to measure progress on self-determination or self-advocacy goals?

5. Self-Determination is an Educational Outcome

6. Self-determination in a nutshell…
Knowing and believing in yourself
Knowing what you want your future to look like and making plans to achieve it
Knowing the supports you need to take control of your life
Self-awareness
Self-advocacy
Self-determination

7. Self-determination is a developmental process that enables a person to learn to make choices and decisions and to problem-solve about situations relevant in their life without any more support than necessary. Wehmeyer, 1999

8. Self-advocacy refers to:   …an individual’s ability to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs, and rights. It involves making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions. (VanReusen et al., 1994)

9. However, this does not mean “doing it all yourself”
However, this does not mean “doing it all yourself”. Self-determination is working towards interdependence.

10. Students demonstrate self-determination skills when they…
Self-regulate
Access to and engage in structured environment
Choose snack, clothes, toys
Encouraged to problem-solve
Contribute; ask for help
Evaluate options, choose
Set academic or personal goals
Advocate for needs
Demonstrate self-evaluation
Consider future
Students demonstrate self-determination skills when they…
Palmer & Wehmeyer, 2002
Self-Determination
Make decisions for day-to-day activities – self advocate
Link actions today to success in future
Break down goals into action steps
Self-evaluate, adjust actions
Let’s look at a developmental continuum of SD skills…
This is a graphic of typical SD skill development. For children with disabilities may need more time to learn these skills.
For the youngest children teaching SD requires us to lay the foundation by adding structure to environments in the way schedules and routines, and providing guidance and support to practice making choices.
Our job is to look at the skills they need to acquire. How will they get there? What will we do to assist?
Us: providing the environment and relationships to support reaching the destination of outcome development. Child: engage in a variety to learning opportunities and relationships to practice essential skills and reach age level mastery.
Describe strengths, needs
Link choices to consequences
Learn simple goal setting
Learn simple self-evaluation
Advocate for self

11. Why are these skills so important?
Students who have self-determination skills have a stronger chance of being successful in making the transition to adulthood, including education, training, employment and independent living outcomes
(Wehmeyer & Schwartz, 1997)
Closely linked to the way we feel about ourselves and how others view us
When we make choices about everyday things as well as life-defining decisions it shapes our quality of life.
Being in control is being self-determined

12. Research says…
Students with disabilities who are more self-determined are twice as likely to be employed one year after high school.
Three years after graduation, these students are more likely to have employment that includes benefits and are more likely to be living somewhere other than the family home.
(Wehmeyer, 2002)
Original research was on HS and young adults
Early childhood has been a more recent focus of research.

13. Self-awareness is the first level of self-determination
How do we facilitate with students?

14. Personal Dream for the Future Student Goals; Self-Evaluation
Needs
Interests
Preferences
Strengths
Student Goals; Self-Evaluation
We need to help students articulate who they are….
Self-knowledge is the first step towards advocating for your rights. Knowing and articulating your strengths, needs, and interests comes before self-advocacy.
STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
What works – strengths, interests, likes?
Review grades, test scores
Accommodations that help me
My needs, challenges
What doesn’t work – bad day?
What might work - dislikes?
Update every 9 weeks
FUTURE:
Academic – this year, next, when I grow up
Home
Community
Relationships

15. I am learning how to deal with my stuttering
Name: Sydney
Address:
DOB:
You’re Invited
(IEPMeeting)
Date: Time:
My Strengths
I am learning how to deal with my stuttering
I am making changes in my breathing and how I talk
Interests
*I like to hunt
*I like to ride my golf cart
*I like to play with my brother
Preferences
Please do not talk about my speech!
Needs
Help from speech-language pathologist

19. My Strengths My Interests My Preferences My Needs Name: Address: DOB:
Date:
My Strengths
My Interests
My Preferences
My Needs
Spend some time making notes of who you are…

20. Consider these questions…
And, use with students

21. What are ways you currently use to facilitate self-determination skills in students?

22. Explore classroom materials

26. The Self-Determined Problem Solving Model…
A model of teaching designed for use by teachers to enable students to become causal agents in their own lives and to self-direct learning.
A method of teaching self-awareness/self-determination is the:
Other models of teaching include role playing, direct instruction, social learning, etc.
Not every model of teaching is appropriate for every situation.
Syntax: sequence of activities called for by the model
Social systems: student and teacher roles, the kind of norms that are encouraged, and the structure of the learning environment
Principles of reaction: describes how the teacher responds to the student
Support systems: supporting conditions that are necessary for the success of the model

27. SDLM: Overview What is it? Instruction Model Teach problem-Solving
Self-Determined People
Persistently problem solve to attain goals
ALL students
Must resolve one problem after another to succeed
SDLM: Overview
What is it?

28. 3 phases of the Self-Determined Learning model
Susan Palmer and Michael Wehmeyer, 2002, The Beach Center on Disability
Set a Goal
Phase I:
Take Action
Phase II:
Adjust Goal
or Plan
Phase III:
Setting a Goal/What do I want to know/learn?
Taking Action/What is My Plan?
Adjusting the Goal/What have I learned/done?

29. Phase 1: What is my goal? What do I want to learn/do/achieve?
What do I know about it now?
What must change for me to learn what I don’t know now?
What can I do to make this happen?
Set a Goal
Phase I:
Take Action
Phase II:
Adjust Goal
or Plan
Phase III:
Could be something academic, personal, linked to report card or not…
Consider what is know now
Identify what is needed for achieve or new learning = success
Set steps to act

30. Phase 2: What is my plan? 5. What can I do to learn what I don’t know?
6. What could keep me from taking action?
7. What could I do to remove these barriers?
8. When will I take action?
Set a Goal
Phase I:
Take Action
Phase II:
Adjust Goal
or Plan
Phase III:

31. Phase 3: What have I learned?
Set a Goal
Phase I:
Take Action
Phase II:
Adjust Goal
or Plan
Phase III:
9. What actions have I taken?
10. What barriers were removed?
11. What has changed about what I didn’t know?
12. Do I know what I want to know?
Self-evaluation, self-assessment, self-review

33. Phase 3: Self-Evaluation
Phase 1: Set Goals
Math: I can….
Reading: I can….
Functional – Make a friend: I can…
Other…
Phase 2: Make a plan
What do I need to do to learn what I don’t know
What might keep me from learning
What will I do to keep learning
Phase 3: Self-Evaluation
Tracking my progress – what have I learned
Student Reflection – academics, functional
What else do I need to learn
What barriers are still present
So, how might you use with students? Maybe at beginning of year, after report cards, every nine weeks with those who have IEPs…

34. Tools to use:
Teach consequences to choices
Involve students in evaluating their classroom work and behavior on a weekly basis; brainstorm ways to improve
Teach goal setting
Support students to participate in their conferences
Include self-determination skills as IEP or student goal

35. Another goal setting template

36. Measuring Self-Determination
Handout
Self-Determination Checklist

37. Educator, student, parent

38. Students OWN goals they can understand
Student involvement in their IEP or conference meetings BUILDS self-determination
Contribute to strengths, progress on goals, vision for the future, new goal development
Students OWN goals they can understand
Self-determined students know what they can do, what they need help with, and know how to get that help
Self-determined students have jobs after high school and a more purposeful life
After teaching SD skills, the logical next step is to involve students in their conference – planning, preparing, conference, and review
Stress that they are many ways that students can increase their participation in the conf process. Participation can be as simple as writing own personal invitations to the meeting or as complex as leading their own meeting. It is important to remember that all students can be a part of their conf meeting—different students will participate in different ways. Participation should be determined through the desires of the student-not the type or level of disability or grade level.
Stress the fact that attendance and participation are not the same.

39. Student Involvement in Conference Meetings
Strengths
Can do
Places I like to go to
Places I want to go
Like to do, want to do
Preferences
Good at
Interests
Goals
Personal Goal
Home Goal
School Goal
When I grow up, I want to be/do/work…
Present Levels
Steps I will take to meet my goals – school, home, personal
What is hard for me?
Where am I now?
School, home, personal goals =
When do I think I can achieve my goals
Personal goal
Home goal
School goal
Achieving my Goals
When and how will I monitor my progress?
If I need to change my goal, I will set a new goal, steps to achieve, and a method to monitor. I will set new goals.
Some ways to plan for level of student participation

40. TRANSITION IEPs: law requires at age 14
Strengths
Places likes to go to, wants to go to
Preferences
Interests
Good at
Can do, likes to do, wants to do
Progress on Goals
Challenges/needs I have
Summary of progress on each annual goal
Present Levels
FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
What keeps student from success in general education classrooms
Transition Outcomes
Employment
Education
Independent Living
What I want to be/do when I grow up
Reflect Transition Assessment Summary
Annual Goals
Flows from present levels, transition outcomes, Consider needed self-regulation – social – time management goals, as needed
But, the activities I’ve shared are meant to be used much earlier…

41. Preview PreK & Elementary Conference ppt templates

42. What your current experiences involving students in conferences?
What could you do to enhance their involvement?

43. Getting Started… Change is always a struggle! Preparation Time
Choose students
Involve parents and other conference members
Begin working with student on individual profile activities
Begin working with student on setting goal(s) and self-assessment
Begin coaching student on conference process and documents
Determine level of student involvement in conference
Prepare student
Hold conference
Preparation Time
Where to present lessons
Direct instruction
Disability Awareness
Self-determination
Legal jargon/information
Confidentiality
Change is always a struggle!

44. Benefits of teaching SD Skills & Conference Participation
Student -
Self-Determined
Understands conference process – owns it!
Positive regard for self
Potential to be a community member
Parent –
More involvement & voice
Better communication
Positive interaction
Teacher –
Positive relationship with student/parent
Conference centered on student needs
Conference process makes sense to all

45. Take Away Message: Self-determination is…
Knowing yourself
Age appropriate roles
Take risks
Abilities
Interests
Knowing your rights
Consider what works
Participate in meetings
Making choices & decision
Feeling and acting capable
Develop abilities
Express preferences for now and in future
Being supported to…

46. Self-determination means….
Advocating for yourself
Asking for help in positive way
What do I want, need
Knowing what you want & how to get it
Etc.
Friends
Community
School
Home
Taking Responsibility
Contributing to planning that affects me
Learn consequences

47. Self-determination means….
Setting Personal Goals and Working Towards Them
Confidence in setting goals and achieving them
Sense of competence
Builds self-esteem
Having Control Over Your Life
I can make choices and express preferences
Living a purposeful life
I can live the American Dream

48. Resources
Self-Determined Learning Model for Early Elementary Students, a Parent’s Guide; S. Palmer, M. Wehmeyer, Beach Center, University of Kansas, 2002
Article, Self-Determination Across the Life Span; A National Gateway to Self- Determination ( 2011
Article, 10 Steps to Independence: Promoting Self-Determination in the Home; M. Wehmeyer, S. Davis, S. Palmer, National Gateway to Self-Determination; 2011
Article, Building a Foundation for Self-Determination in the Early Years of Life, S. Palmer, J.A. Summers; National Gateway to Self-Determination; 2011
Know Yourself, Know Your Right: Expanding Opportunities for Self-Determination; T. Grossi, D. McCarty, P. Rogan; Center on Community Living and Careers, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University, 2001