In this step you will learn:
• What is self-advocacy?
• Why is self-advocacy important?
• When is self-advocacy useful?
• Where is self-advocacy useful?
• Who can use self-advocacy?
• How do you self-advocate?
At the end of this section there are a few questions for you to
answer. Read over the information then when you think you understand
what self-advocacy is and when and how it is useful, try to answer
the questions. When you have answered the questions go back and
read the chapter to see if you have answered them correctly. Don’t
worry too much if you get a few answers wrong, you can come back
and re-read this chapter whenever you need to.
First, read a small story about Maryam
and how she learnt about self-advocacy.
Maryam went to see her LAC because she had been fighting with
her parents about money. Maryam received the Disability Support
Pension every fortnight but she couldn’t spend any of
the money because her parents were the only ones with access
to her bank account. Maryam’s parents decided what Maryam
should spend her money on and wouldn’t listen to what
Maryam had to say. Maryam didn’t want to fight with her
parents but she wanted them to listen to her and let her make
some decisions for herself.
The LAC, Angela, told Maryam about self-advocacy and said it
was a good way to learn to speak-up for yourself, get people
to listen and make decisions for yourself. Angela told Maryam
that just telling somebody about your problem wasn’t self-advocacy
but it was a good start. Good self-advocacy was about speaking-up
about your thoughts and feelings, asking for what you wanted,
working towards solutions and making decisions for yourself.
Maryam asked if Angela would teach her to self-advocate and
Angela said she would. |
What is Self-Advocacy?
Self-advocacy is the ability to speak-up for yourself and the things
that are important to you. Self-advocacy means you are able to ask
for what you need and want and tell people about your thoughts and
feelings. Self-advocacy means you know your rights and responsibilities,
you speak-up for your rights, and you are able to make choices and
decisions that affect your life. The goal of self-advocacy is for
YOU to decide what you want then develop and carry out a plan to
help you get it. It does not mean you can’t get help if you
need or want it, it just means that you are making the choices and
you have to be responsible for the choices you make.
Why is Self-Advocacy important?
It is important to learn self-advocacy skills because it helps you
decide what you want and what is possible for you to expect. When
you have good self-advocacy skills you can have more control and
make the life decisions that are best for you. Self-advocacy helps
to empower you, to speak-up for yourself and make decisions about
your life.
When is Self-Advocacy useful?
• When you want to be listened to
• When you are being assessed
• When you are making a complaint
• When you are developing or reviewing a care plan
Where can you Self-Advocate?
There are many places that you might want to speak-up for yourself
or ask for what you want such as:
• At home
• At work
• At school
• At the hospital
• At the doctor
• At the shops
• On the bus
And many more places. If you are not happy with the way something
is done then it is up to you to help change it. Nobody else knows
how you feel or what you think- YOU need to tell people if you are
not happy or you want something to change.
Who is a Self-Advocate?
• Someone who says what they think and feel
• Someone who speaks-up for things they believe in
• Someone who knows and understands their rights and responsibilities
• Someone who takes responsibility for their own life
• Someone who makes decisions that affect their life
• Someone who helps to improve their life
• Someone who tries to change the way things are done
How do you Self-Advocate?
• You need to decide what you want to speak-up about
• You need to plan how you are going to speak-up
• You need to speak-up for yourself
• You need the freedom to be able to make basic choices about
your life.
• You need to be given the authority to be the expert on your
life; you are the one who has to live your life so you should be
able to make decisions which affect you.
• You need to have support to make and achieve your goals,
the final decision should be yours but it is good to have other
people to help you.
• You need to be responsible for your decisions. You need
to try to make the best choices and fix those that did not work.
• You need to believe you are able to do the things in your
life that are not working and work towards the things that are important
to you.
ACTIVITY 1.1
In your own words answer these questions. Your answers do not need
to be perfect; this is just to help you to understand what self-advocacy
is.
What is self-advocacy?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why is self-advocacy important?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where are some places where YOU could self-advocate? List
3 places.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When would YOU self-advocate? List 3 situations.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where you can go for more information
about Self-Advocacy:
• Multicultural
Disability Advocacy Association
www.mdaa.org.au
• Disability & Aged Information Services Inc:
Advocacy fact sheet
www.daisi.asn.au
• Disability Action Incorporated: Advocacy for People with
Disabilities
www.disabilityaction.asn.au
|
