1. EQUIP FOR EQUALITY Advocate for Yourself!
Training Institute on Disability Rights

2. NOW! Self-Advocacy What is it?
Protect your rights
Make sure your needs are met
Make sure you are supported in making decisions for yourself
What does self-advocacy mean to you?
Examples:
Take care of self- even if ‘powers that be’ are bigger
Do for yourself
Find your own job
Respect for self, community, life
Stick up for own rights
Who has done self-advocacy- what did you do?
When is it time to start self-advocating?
NOW!

3. Kinds of Self-Advocacy
Individual
Results that help one person
Systemic
Advocacy efforts that help many people through a change in the system, a new law or a better policy
What does individual advocacy mean? Who has an example?
Systemic advocacy could mean changing, preventing, or supporting a law or a policy.
Example of both: Individual advocacy would be securing an interpreter for a Dr. visit for yourself. Systemic would be asking the hospital, “What is your policy for hiring interpreters?” If it wasn’t ADA compliant or they weren’t following it or didn’t have one- working on changing that.

4. Individual Self-Advocacy
Examples
Asking for an interpreter for an important meeting
Bringing someone you trust to your doctor’s appointment, so they can explain anything you don’t understand.
What does individual advocacy mean? Who has an example?
Systemic advocacy could mean changing, preventing, or supporting a law or a policy.
Example of both: Individual advocacy would be securing an interpreter for a Dr. visit for yourself. Systemic would be asking the hospital, “What is your policy for hiring interpreters?” If it wasn’t ADA compliant or they weren’t following it or didn’t have one- working on changing that.

5. Systemic Advocacy Examples
Asking the hospital, “What is your policy for hiring sign-language interpreters?”
Talking to your legislature about changing a law so more people with disabilities can get help finding a job.
What does individual advocacy mean? Who has an example?
Systemic advocacy could mean changing, preventing, or supporting a law or a policy.
Example of both: Individual advocacy would be securing an interpreter for a Dr. visit for yourself. Systemic would be asking the hospital, “What is your policy for hiring interpreters?” If it wasn’t ADA compliant or they weren’t following it or didn’t have one- working on changing that.

6. Why Self-Advocacy Is Important
Make sure your needs are met
Make sure your rights are protected
Power in numbers!
More people advocating for an issue has more of an impact on legislators.

7. Steps to Follow to Be a Self-Advocate
Understand that you are important
Decide what needs to be changed
Choose a goal
Do the most important thing first
Get information
Make a plan of action
Look back

8. How to Self-Advocate Understand that you are important
You are a lawmaker!
You are a voter!
You are Important
Tell me something about yourself that’s unique about you?
It could be a strength, belief, value, standard, interest, etc.
Go around the room and encourage everyone to contribute.
TIP: Brainstorming sheets on Advocacy Strengths & Values (LINK) can be used to help the group think about their unique traits.
We are not used to being asked about our strengths and sharing them. Remember we are people first- that’s important.
You are a Lawmaker
Just by doing everyday things we make changes & laws.
If there are traffic accidents at a certain corner, the community calls for a traffic light or a reduced speed zone.
Work, hospitals, the community become more accessible because we stand up for our rights
You are a Voter
I hope you are registered!!!
You are a PERSON!

9. How to Self-Advocate Understand that you are important
Share something about yourself that’s unique about you.
You are Important
Tell me something about yourself that’s unique about you?
It could be a strength, belief, value, standard, interest, etc.
Go around the room and encourage everyone to contribute.
TIP: Brainstorming sheets on Advocacy Strengths & Values can be used to help the group think about their unique traits.
We are not used to being asked about our strengths and sharing them. Remember we are people first- that’s important.
You are a Lawmaker
Just by doing everyday things we make changes & laws.
If there are traffic accidents at a certain corner, the community calls for a traffic light or a reduced speed zone.
Work, hospitals, the community become more accessible because we stand up for our rights
You are a Voter
I hope you are registered!!!

10. How to Self-Advocate Decide what needs to be changed
What have you been having problems with?
Is there something that you want to improve in your life?
Make self-advocacy part of everyday life.
Think—What am I struggling with, what problems am I having day to day?
What are some examples of problems you are having as a group?
Lead participants to go from thinking about their individual problems to issues that their group is having, the community of people with disabilities and the wider community.
Examples might be: Transportation, medical accessibility, accessibility of particular sites or buildings, lack of interpreters or providing interpreter services, lack of services or options, etc.
Ask someone to help record the group’s brainstorming on a flipchart, whiteboard, etc.
A computer can also be useful, but keep in mind that seeing everyone’s comments can be helpful for some people when generating ideas.

11. How to Self-Advocate Define your goal
What is going on now that isn’t working?
What do you need?
What do you want to be able to do that you can’t do now?
Help the group state a goal that they can all basically agree on.
Check to see that the goal is ‘SMART’:
Specific
Measurable
(Uses) Action Words
Realistic
Timely
Example:
We want public transportation that is accessible, affordable and runs to places and at times that help us get to work, appointments and community events.

12. Do the Most Important thing first
How to Self-Advocate
Do the Most Important thing first
Which issue on your list is most important?
Which is second? Third?
Helps you decide what you want to do first
You can’t work on everything at the same time. If you have a list of issues, if you get stuck you can move on to the next issue.
Give an example of prioritizing when one issue seemed like a dead end, but the second priority led to some successful outcome.
Which of your issues is the most important? What comes next? Rank them in order of importance.
You can have a volunteer rank the priorities on a flipchart, whiteboard, etc.

13. How to Self-Advocate Get information
What do you know about your issue?
Do you have all of the facts?
Where can you find information?
What do you know about your issue?
Using the examples from the groups priorities, discuss what they know about the issue they are interested in.
Record the information on a flipchart, whiteboard, etc.
Facts & Information
Having all the facts is important for presenting the issue to others
Discuss the internet as a useful tool, but remember to:
Find trusted sources
Check the writer’s qualifications
Ask how current the information is
Think about the information and draw your own conclusions
Universal Design
Think about Universal Design which is a way of seeing the world and putting things together that make it easier for everyone to access buildings, services, parks, cities, towns, etc.
An example would be curb cuts used by people with & without disabilities

14. Go for it! How to Self-Advocate Plan of action
What could you do to reach your goal?
What steps can you take?
What is the best plan?
Plan of Action
Ask the group to brainstorm about the steps to take to reach their goal.
Have someone record the ideas on a flipchart, whiteboard, etc.
Remind them of the power of voting:
Check how your legislator voted on a similar issue
If they agreed with you- great, you want to keep them in office
If not, do you want to vote for them in the future
Either way you can call, write or them to let them know what’s important to you
Lead the group to write a 3-7 step beginning action plan
Example:
Send letter to mayor’s council
Meet major to discuss issues
Contact legislators
Find money for project
Support
Help the group think of local, state, federal and world-wide places to contact for support
Go for it!
Where can you find support?

15. How to Self-Advocate Look back Helps you stay motivated
Helps you improve
You will see how much you have accomplished!
Look back
If you have gotten off track from your goal
Regroup
Get back on point
Tweak your goal- make small changes
Make sure it’s still what you want
Decide next course of action
Progress is the key
Always celebrate your successes
Reward yourselves for a job well done
Remind the group of their action plan steps
Example:
Fight for transportation
Send letter
Meet mayor
Contact legislator
Find money
Reflect and if you haven’t reached your goal- keep working on your action plan

16. YOU CAN DO IT!!! Self-Advocacy
Congratulate the group on all they’ve accomplished today.

17. QUESTIONS