Self Advocates Becoming Empowered Webinar with Autism NOW November 15, 2011

8/3/2019 Self Advocates Becoming Empowered Webinar with Autism NOW November 15, 2011

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Max Barrows

Kyle Moriarty Chester Finn


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People Are Talking AboutYour Transition

Research and self-advocates have foundthat students who have self-determination

skills have a stronger chance of being

successful in making the transition to

adulthood, including employment andindependence (Wehmeyer, 2007).


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My name is Kyle Moriarty. I am twenty-oneyears old and a registered voter in the state of

Vermont. I attend Montpelier High School. Ihave attended regular classes with an adultfacilitator for support.

I began Facilitated Communication in 2003.


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I actively speak before the legislativecommittees at the State House on behalf of

people with disabilities, about program cutsthat would impact their quality of life. I workGreen Mountain Self Advocates (GMSA) ofVermont.


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As a new facilitated communication userthere was a new world opening up theability to truly communicate. I thought

that there was no hope of ever thinkingout-loud and was going to be cleaningwindows for a living, because I could not

share anything.


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The attitude of he cant speak, he doesn't know,

I had to live with for many years. I was now ableto demonstrate what I did know through supported

typed communication. I felt people couldunderstand me now. I showed them and theyunderstood me, it cannot get any better thancommunicating from within me.


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Some people can be the judge of aperson because of the look of thatperson. The important thing to remember

is that non-speaking people have lots tosay and all we need is people to take thetime to hear our thoughts.


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I do expect to go to college

and get an education.Having an education is themost important time

in our lives and it is so

important to do what is

important to you.Understand that my goal in

life is to be educated and tobe an advocate for people

with disabilities.


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One purpose of self-advocacy is tostrengthen peer connections. A peer connection is with

somebody that has been through the same challenges asyou. For example, other persons with disabilities mayhave experienced being bullied when they were young, orfelt that they did not fit in socially. A peer is not a teacheror staff person. It is not a parent or guardian. These

individuals can be a very important in part of your life, butthey play a different role than a peer. A peer is anotherself-advocate who not only shares some of the sameexperiences as you, but also is available to you.

Our # 1 Transition SuggestionIs Using Peer Mentors And

Joining A Self-advocacy Group.


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In a peer-to-peer connection, you start to learn how muchyou have in common. When you get involved with other

persons with disabilities, you begin to realize you are notalone while facing tough times.

You start to see that you are capableof making your own choices.

This is self-determination.

One thing you often hear mentioned in self-advocacy ispeer mentoring. You may be wondering what a mentor is?The first thing that comes to mind is that a mentor can giveyou advice on how to deal with a particular issue orproblem. Mentors can give advice do to their experience.They have already been down that path, and they willing toshare their knowledge.


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The second part of being a mentor is thatthey can see what you are capable of.

They encourage you to do more thanwhat you think you can do. For self-advocates, sometimes we get stuck intodoubting ourselves, but a mentor can get

you unstuck by believing in you!Joining a local self-advocacy group can be great wayto begin having peer connections. You can get thehonest truth from your peers. You are hearing it

through the experience of peers directly. When thereis information coming from teachers or support staff orfamily, it can feel sugar coated. This environment canfeel too controlling and biased. When you are in apeer group, the environment can feel safe and open.


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We are all about true inclusion.High school can be socially

challenging, and not an experienceof feeling really included.It can feel nice to be in anenvironment, like a self-advocacymeeting where you can meet people that have shared thatexperience. In high school, people may be nice to you, butdont really walk in your shoes. You might have a lot of

acquaintances, but very few close friends. Its great to be

in a place where people WANT to connect with you. When

you connect with other self-advocates in the movement, itmakes you feel free and more proud of who you are. Self-advocates often say, I dont care how different I am. I like

the way I am!


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# 2 Support Students to Understand Their Disabilities

For me, it goes back to middle school when I didnt know what mydisability was. But, I began to know something was different becauseof the way I was learning. I didnt want to show that I my learning was

different. So, at the time I intentionally hid it.

I didnt want to feel that I needed help with anything. I was afraid where

that would land me, but I wanted to learn like everyone else. I wouldfalsely tell my teachers that I didnt miss anything in class. This was

because I didnt want my teachers to think there was something

mentally wrong.

As time went on, I still wanted to succeed. I started telling teachersI want to learn, but I cant learn the way you are teaching me. I needed

to start understanding why I was learning differently.

To er


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My brain often takes more time to process information. Therecan be a shield that develops around me. It doesnt let too

much at a time get in my head. My brain can only take so

much info and process it properly. When I was in a typicalclass room, it felt like too many words were trying to get in myhead, where they dont fit. They just bounced off the shield

and onto the floor.

Today this is still a challenge. But since I joined self-advocacy, my disability pride has grown tremendously. Now Iam not afraid to express who I am and how I learn. Iunderstand my disability much better now. I can connect withpeople who understand me. They learn from me and I learn

from them. I am learning what I need for accommodations,and how to ask for them. It is very important for students tobe supported to understand their disability. They need toknow themselves well to make a good transition in to thecommunity.

To er


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To understand your disability, smoothtransitions include:

Knowing who you are, including your disability.

What your challenges and barriers are.

What supports you need in different

environments.

How to ask for accommodations.

Feeling comfortable disclosingthat you have a disability.

To er


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# 3 Self-determination happens when you take charge of yourself.You are in control of your life.

Before you can make a plan, you first have to believe you have thecapability of being in charge of your life. A way to look at this is toask yourself where you want to be sitting in the car that drives youthrough life. I am sure nobody wants to be in the trunkbut some

persons with disabilities can get pretty comfortable in the back seat.Believing in yourself is your licenses to sit in the drivers seat.

Some things to think about:

Believing in yourself: I can do this.

A problem people with disabilities often have growing up is havingpeople say: Let me do that for you, or Let me help you out.

Over time you get dependent on people helping you too much.

You end up letting them do all the driving.

You start to doubt yourself; you dont believe you can do things for

yourself.

To er


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Max

# 4 Supporting students to set goals and make aplanOnce you believe youre in charge, you are ready tomake a plan.

First you need to: Begin with the End in Mind. Thismeans coming up with what you want to do with yourlife. Students with disabilities beware. If you do notspeak up and take control over your own life, someone

else will.

When we say Begin with the End in Mind, the Endis what you need to visualize. It is that something youwant to drive towards. This helps you know whatdirection you want to go in life. We hear this a lot fromself-advocates. This can be a goal setting process.

The opposite of having the end in mind is having a lotof movement, but not knowing the direction you wantto take. When you do this, you use a lot of energy andyou can get lost. For example, its like riding a bicycledown a lot of back roads that dont lead you to whereyou want to go!


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I think that the people at my school did a good

job. The team was very tight.

They helped by finding different ways for me tocontrol my anxiety than some of the ones I

used in school.

The team connected me with different outside

groups that helped me deal with differentissues. Like a drumming group to help me

develop some rhythm to my body movement.

To control my anxiety I used a low light room

that isolated the outside world. I used a vestand a set of rollers to apply pressure on my

body to control my tension.


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What are the things that helped you transition to the

outside world?

I was able to work, attend conferences, rallies andalso spoke at some of these events.

What could schools do better to help students transition to the outside

world?

I think that schools can organize the scheduling of courses better. In

volunteering, to do more support work with students with disabilities.

I think I could also have gotten more independent living skills like cooking

for myself making my bed and cleaning my home.

I also think that I needed more help with my personal hygiene. I think also

guiding me in the work world by helping me find a person to help me at

work when I am finally out of school.


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What advice do you have for?

They need to get involved in activities outside of

school and try to deal with the anxiety that the workword can cause.

They need to become responsible hard working punctual and

focused on the work that they are doing.

To deal with the emotional aspect, they need to learn to close the

outside world and not let any sensory distractions disturb them.

To control my sensory overload I do some deep breathing walking

or getting some coffee. I also have my assistant apply pressure onmy shoulders stretch or rock on a rocking chair.

To control anxiety from work overload I simply focus on what I am

doing and not let anything bother me


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How are is your teacher different from a job

assistant?

I think that the support person in school is more ofa teacher.

The support person in the work world becomes more of an assistant. I

am becoming in charge of my own schedule that I work out with my

supervisor.

I make my own decisions but often still ask for their advice as well as

my parents. They are there to facilitate my typing. They assist me to

put my true words on paper. my co-workers and I work on the details

as a team. I feel that the facilitator is my employee and they are thereto help me when I request it I am in the drivers seat.


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Tips on Answering Questions

Step One: Reassure the person that it isgood to ask questions Give positive messages

No matter what kind of question you get, it'simportant to let a person know that the questionis a good question.

You can do this by saying "good question" or by

smiling and nodding your head at the person. This gives the message that asking questions is

okay to do.


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Step Two: Keep it simple. Giveinformation that answers the question

and is useful.The information needs to be neutral,non-biased. Do not tell the person

what to do. Do not share youropinions.

Give correct information AND get them

involved. Find out what the person thinks or isreally asking.

You could just give them correct information,

but that can sometimes end the conversation.Max


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Getting them involved by asking the personquestions helps you find out what they know

and what they want to know about. ASK.....

"What do you think?"

"What is important to you? What have you tried?

What have you heard?

Step Three - Find out if the personhas any other questions

Max


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What Do You Think Questions

They are seeking out your opinionor value. It can be easy to answerthis, but this doesnt help. We

need to support students to figure

out what they think by askingquestions or giving someinformation.

Rand


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Useful Resources on Self-Determination

Promoting Self-Determination in Students withDevelopmental Disabilities By: MichaelWehmeyer, Martin Agran, Carolyn Hughes, JamesMartin, Dennis Mithaug, & Susan Palmer. Thisbook contains student worksheets and teacher

guides for implementing specific strategies in theclassroom.

Teaching Self-Determination to Students with

Disabilities: Basic Skills for Successful TransitionBy: Michael Wehmeyer, Martin Agran, & CarolynHughes. This book overviews strategies of self-determination with multiple examples that relatespecifically to transition.

Max


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Self-Determination Strategies for Adolescents inTransition By: Sharon Field, Alan Hoffman, & ShirleySpezia. This book contains information on self-determination strategies.

Self-Determination: Instructional and AssessmentStrategies By: Michael Wehmeyer & Sharon Field.This book contains instructional and assessment

strategies related to self-determination.

Get the Life You Want: A Transition Toolbox This toolbox helpsself-advocates, support people, and families to plan for thetransitions self-advocates make as they move into

independence and adulthood during high school. The checklistscover topics that range from voting to relationships and job-searching.http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=4
http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=4http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=4http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=4http://www.gmsavt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=4

Self Advocates Becoming Empowered Webinar with Autism NOW November 15, 2011

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