Speaking up for ourselves, so we can achieve what we want in life, is a skill everyone needs to learn, not just those of us who use AAC. At its simplest level self-advocacy is knowing ourselves, what we want, and being able to communicate our needs, but we all know it isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
Transitioning into adulthood and the world of independent living means being equipped for dealing with new life situations, often leading your own team, and making sure you achieve your goals. Being able to self-advocate is one of the most powerful tools available to any AAC user, whether this is for smaller everyday wants and needs, to share our views and opinions, making big life decision or making our dreams, hopes and wishes come to fruition.
Sometimes the way forward is getting support from another person to help us express our views and wishes and help us stand up for our rights. When we do this, we are using an advocate. This may be a communication partner or someone with professional expertise as an ally whose weight will influence key decisions by speaking on your behalf (with your permission).
For many people self-advocacy isn’t something that just happens. It is skill that develops through childhood, into teens and then continues in adulthood. It needs to be planned for and practiced so we develop the competencies required to know what we want. At the core of advocating for ourselves is communication, however, being able to communicate is only a part of the picture. We also need to develop the confidence to do this.
Self-advocacy can be achieved through 5 steps:
* Being authentic: learning to be yourself and know what you want to achieve.
* Knowing your rights, doing your research: we all have the right to be heard, know what you can expect and what to expect of others.
* Demonstrating self-determination: learning to develop decision making skills for both daily activities and bigger life events.
* Communicating effectively: different situations often need different approaches, but these are underpinned by planning, preparation, and practice.
* Learning for the future: being reflective after each opportunity to self-advocate using a simple 3 stage approach, ready for next time.
This interactive session will draw on the author’s lived experiences as an AAC user to illustrate developing self-advocacy skills using the 5 steps above. There will be the opportunity for questions and answers.
