Self-Advocacy 101

Welcome to Self-Advocacy 101, brought to you by the Idaho Self-Advocate Leadership Network, in collaboration with the Center on Disabilities and Human Development, and the Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center. This training will give you information on what a self-advocate is and how you can become a self-advocate and to share the groups of people who can help you find the services you need to have a better, happy life.

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Self-Advocacy 101 Transcript

Self-Advocacy 101 Video
Idaho Self-Advocate Leadership Network (ISALN)
April 2018

Slide 1:

Welcome to "Self-Advocacy 101," brought to you by the Idaho Self-Advocate Leadership Network. In collaboration with the Center on Disabilities and Human Development and the Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center. I’m Shiloh Blackburn. I'll be guiding you through this training. Hope you enjoy it!

Slide 2:

There are two goals to the purpose of this training today. The first goal is to give you information on what it means to be a self-advocate. The second goal is to share the groups of people and resources that can help you find the services you need to have a successful, happy, better life.

Slide 3:

[chimes] There are four key words that we are going to talk about today. Advocate, self-advocate, self-determination, and integration.

Slide 4:

An advocate is someone who listens well and cares. He or she helps others like yourself and your friends speak up for themselves and is someone who speaks up for others when they can't or don't know how to yet. An advocate can help you do or say what you want to do or say.

Slide 5:

A self-advocate is someone who speaks up for themselves and explains their needs and wants. For example, if I wanted to read a book that's on a high shelf I would ask someone who could reach it to hand the book to me and I would say thank you.

A self-advocate is someone who also takes responsibility for his or her own choices. For instance, I chose to adopt two cats. It is my responsibility to see they have food, water, and a clean litter box.

Slide 6:

Here are four examples of self-advocacy in everyday life.

  1. Making choices. What color shirt will you wear tomorrow? What movie do you want to go see with friends?
  2. Speak up! What are your needs and wants?
  3. Dating. We all want to love and be loved. Some of us even want to have families of our own.
  4. College. Some people want to go to college to learn and find the right job for them.

Slide 7:

Self-determination means people choose how they live their lives now and in the future. And they take responsibility for decisions they make, with or without help.

Slide 8:

Self-determination also means you can be whoever you want to be. It means you are in charge of your life. If you want to work, go for it! If you want to be a volunteer at an animal shelter, go for it! If you want to start your own business or go to school, go for it!

Slide 9:

Self-determination means living where you want with the support you want. And it means having the job you want, paying taxes, and voting.

Slide 10:

Self-determination is about you. Other people can give you advice, but it's your life! You are in control. You have the final say. Your decisions are yours.

Slide 11:

Simply put, self-determination means freedom, control, choice, and responsibility. Freedom to you might be going to a store with friends and buying what you want. Control is living where you want and having the support people you want. Choice could mean eating what you want, wearing the clothes you want, or working at a job you want. Responsibility means getting to your job on time and paying bills.

Slide 12:

Integration is when many people from different ways of life come together, live, work, and share a community. Integration may mean living in housing with different kinds of people, young and old. Or going to a store where everyone shops.

Slide 13:

Integration means people are not treated differently because of the color of their skin, their religion, their sexual orientation, or because they have a disability. For example, there are different kinds of jobs to do. A doctor or a baker or a teacher, and all kinds of people have to work and live together all with different ways of thinking, feeling, and doing things.

Slide 14:

Integration means everyone can be accepted for who they are. You can be friends with anyone. You don't need to change for someone to be your friend and someone doesn't have to change to be your friend.

Slide 15:

Integration is for all of us! We all live in a community together. Diversity helps you have all kinds of people in your life and that's great!

Slide 16:

A quick review. Advocates are people who care about you and listen well. They speak up for others and help you speak up for yourself. Self-advocates are people who speak up for themselves.

Slide 17:

A quick review continued. Self-determination means freedom, control, choice, and responsibility. Integration means everyone is treated the same. No matter what or who they are. Everyone has the same choices and rights.

Slide 18:

Let's have some fun, shall we? Think about and answer these questions.

  1. Where do you want to live?
  2. Would you like to live in your own house?
  3. What kind of family do you want?
  4. Do you want a husband or wife?
  5. Do you want children?
  6. Do you want pets?

Slide 19:

Here are a few more questions.

  1. Where do you want to go on vacation?
  2. What job do you want?
  3. What do you want to do for fun?

Slide 20:

Are you a self-advocate right now? How are you advocating for yourself? Consider these questions.

  • Do you explain your needs and wants to others?
  • Do you make your own choices? Do others listen to you and respect what you say?
  • Do you choose for yourself, and do you take the responsibility for the choices that you make?

Slide 21:

You can be a self-advocate now!

  • Get involved!
  • Take charge of your life!
  • Speak up, and explain your wants and needs to others.
  • Share your thoughts and feelings. Make your dreams a reality!
  • Surround yourself with family and friends who love you and want to see you succeed!

Slide 22:

Here are the organizations and resources that can help you find the services in your state that you and your family will need.

The first is the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. It can be found at nacdd.org. It supports the 56 Councils in every state and territory of the U.S. in promoting the interests and rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The second organization is the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. It can be found at aaidd.org. AAIDD has three goals. First to enhance the capacity of professionals who work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Second, promote the development of a society that fully includes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Third, to sustain an effective, responsive, well-managed, and responsibly-governed organization.

Slide 23:

The third organization is the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. It can be found at www.aucd.org. The Association of University Centers on Disabilities is a membership organization that supports and develops a national network, and a wide range of programs at many universities. AUCD supports this national network through leadership, connecting, and partnering with other national organizations. It encourages communication within the network and with other groups like collecting, organizing, and sharing information on the network's activities and accomplishments. It also offers technical assistance on a broad range of topics.

The fourth organization is Rooted in Rights. It can be found at www.rootedinrights.org. Its mission is to tell true, accessible stories that empower our community to advocate for disability rights. Its values include: human rights, original storytelling, accessible creativity, empowered advocacy.

The National DisAbility Rights Network can be found at www.ndrn.org. This is a network of state run agencies that protect and speak up for the rights of people with disabilities. They look into situations of neglect and abuse and other situations that can possibly effect the quality of life for the disabled.

Slide 24:

Thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed the training. If you would like to view more trainings and learn more about self-advocacy and other related topics, please visit idahocdhd.org/isaln.