Amber McConnellUniversity of Oklahoma

Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment

Speaking-up for an issue, idea, or person

Advocate◦Person who does the speaking

Numerous advocates◦Parent advocate◦Legal advocate◦Self-advocate

AdvocacyAdvocacy

Knowing what you need and being able to ask for it.

A way in which people speak up, voice their opinion, and take responsibility for being equal within society.

1. Why is it important to include self-advocacy skills into my curriculum?

2. How am I going to find time to do that?

3. What would I do?

Prominent Teacher Prominent Teacher QuestionsQuestions

After graduation students will need to advocate for themselves◦College◦Job

Teach them now while support still available

Why?Why?

Do you understand what your disability is and how your disability impacts you?

Can you explain the impact to people you work with, who you need help from?

Do you understand what things help you do a good job or to participate?

Can you ask for these things from your boss? Coworker? Someone in the community?

How should you ask your boss to explain the new task AND show it to you before she walks away?

How should you ask for someone to reach an item that you are unable to reach?

How should you ask someone to hold a door open if you are having trouble getting into a building?

How should you ask for a ride somewhere?

Feeling quiet and too shy to speak

Feeling frustrated and ready to explode

Feeling like I don’t know what to do

Feeling afraid of saying the wrong thing

Not knowing how someone else will react

Wanting to be nice to everybody

Not wanting to cause a problem

Not wanting to draw attention to myself

Thinking that no one will understand me

Not liking the other person enough to try

What stops you from being your own advocate?

Figure out what your barriers are,

then come up with a plan to overcome it!

Time?Time?

Take advantage of existing opportunities◦IEP meetings◦Need to discuss accommodations with gen ed teachers

◦Need to change schedule

Infuse into current practices self-determination teaching methodology

Teach students to:◦ Request own accommodations◦ Discuss interests, needs, progress, and goals at

IEP meetings◦ Build own transition plan◦ Build own summary of performance◦ Attain own goals

What Can I Do?What Can I Do?

Courage doesn't always roar. Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow.”"I will try again tomorrow.”

-Mary Anne Radmacher

"I don't know what the "I don't know what the future may hold, but I know future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”who holds the future.”

Abernathy, Ralph Civil Rights Activist (1926-1991)

Teach youth about their impact of disability and assist them to recognize their strengths, skills and support needs.

Teach skills such as: asking for help, making choices, expressing an opinion, and sharing information.

Encourage youth to speak up for themselves rather than relying on an adult to it (i.e., don’t talk for them).

Learn to make choices for yourself Identify your needs and wants Share information with someone you trust Practice what you want to communicate Speak for yourself; find your voice Don’t give up if people don’t listen the first time Celebrate accomplishments

Make choices

Direct your own IEP

Ask for accommodations

Learn to explain your strengths, interests and support needs

Set goals

Take reasonable risks

When an activity didn’t go the way you had planned, come up with ways to do something differently so you succeed next time

Take pride in disability- learn about disability culture, learn about disability history, learn about successful people who have a similar disability to yours

Learn and use leadership skills

Provide opportunities for youth to make choices

Encourage assertiveness

Encourage youth to set their own goals

Allow youth to take risks and make mistakes but also facilitate the processing and learning from those mistakes

Include self-determination goals in the IEP:

◦ “Student will introduce herself and describe her strengths, her impact of disability, and her support needs to a familiar teacher, a new teacher, and/or an employer using her portfolio…”

◦ “If needed, the student will also present documentation of her disability (for a medical appointment, for an interview with VR, DD, or college)” (PERC Self advocacy checklist)

Student will request assistance from (a familiar person, acquaintance, someone in the community) to…..

Describe how the person can best assist you (“When you help me transfer from my chair to this seat, could one person place their hands under my arms and the other place their hands under my knees and lift together?”)

“On average, students with disabilities

entered higher education nearly three

years later than students withoutDisabilities”

George Washington University, HEATH Resource Center, (n.d.).Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: Recent Data from the 2000

National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey. Washington, DC: author, p.3; retrieved March 9, 2004 from www.heath.gwu.edu.

Challenges Include:Challenges Include: Unfamiliarity with what to expect in

postsecondary settings Lack of understanding about differences in

the law between K-12 and postsecondary settings

Changing role of students and parents Insufficient self-advocacy skills

Legal obligations of institutionIDEA vs ADA/504, student responsibilities vs institutional responsibilities

System for access and accommodationsDSS office, self-disclosure, accommodations

Self-Advocacy skills are necessary

What’s Different About What’s Different About College?College?

IDEA ADA/504

School district is responsible for identifying and evaluating students with disabilities

Students must self-identify as having a disability and provide adequate documentation of disability

Evaluations are school’sresponsibility; conducted at no expense to student/parent

Evaluations/documentation of disability are student’s responsibility and expense

Parents must consent to evaluations and placement decisions

Student is responsible for advocacy and negotiating accommodation plans

IEP developed with parents,teachers, and other specialists

Accommodation plan developed with student, Disabilities Services Office -- no IEP

What Documentation Is What Documentation Is Needed?Needed? Check with each individual college to find

out exact requirements Colleges tend to want documentation to

be no more than 3 years old Provision of documentation is the

student’s responsibility and not that of the college or the public school system

IEP is not considered disability documentation

Many students with disabilities are not taking advantage of disability support services on campus

Anxious to shed the “special education” label from high school

Parent is no longer the primary advocate May not be aware services are available

Why is Self-Identification Why is Self-Identification Important?Important?

Students should know and beStudents should know and becomfortable with:comfortable with: Discussing his or her disability What accommodations are helpful, those

that are not, and why Understanding their rights and

responsibilities Articulating strengths and weaknesses Discussing what works best for them in an

academic environment Discussing overall learning style

Transition File Should Transition File Should Include:Include: Disability documentation High school transcripts & diploma Copy of ACT/SAT test scores Copies of financial aid forms Medical (and vehicle) insurance information College transcripts Copy of VR paperwork Important addresses & phone numbers Copy of birth certificate, drivers license & Social Security card

"All of us have two educations—one which we

receive from others; another, and the most valuable, which

we give ourselves.”

John Randolph American legislator (1773-1833)

Questions?

Contact Information :Contact Information :Amber McConnell

ambermcc@ou.edu(405) 325-8951