Self Advocacy!
Self-advocacy is the ability to assert oneself and communicate clearly about one’s needs. The AAIDD page on self-advocacy defines self advocacy for those with a disability in the following way:
“Advocacy gives a person with a disability a chance speak up for themselves and others. By letting individuals tell others how they feel about issues that affect their lives, they can educate the public about persons with disabilities and how they can be included in all aspects of community life.” http://www.aaidd.org/content_192.cfm?navID=69
According to the 2011-2012 NCI data, 31% of all respondents stated that they had had the opportunity to participate in a self advocacy event.
It is compelling to look at whether a respondent has had the opportunity to participate in self advocacy by age (Table 1).
Table 1: Opportunity to participate in self advocacy by age in 2011-2012
|
|
Age categories |
Total |
|||
|
18-25 |
26-40 |
41-65 |
66+ |
||
|
No |
77% |
69% |
67% |
71% |
69% |
|
Had opportunity |
23% |
31% |
33% |
29% |
31% |
It is interesting to note that the individuals who claim to have had the least opportunity to participate in self-advocacy are those between the ages of 18 and 25, followed by those aged 66 and above.
Fortunately, there are several resources available for individuals who would like to participate in self advocacy, or for those who would like to encourage others to become self advocates. Self-advocacy Online (www.selfadvocacyonline.org) is a site designed by the Research & Training Center on Community Living out of the University of Minnesota. The site is easy to navigate and offers several tools, videos and tutorials to encourage individuals to pursue self-advocacy. There are links to local self-advocacy organizations, and a page for news on self-advocacy. Perhaps the most motivational aspect of the site is the page dedicated to personal reflections on self-advocacy. These short video clips show self-advocates discussing the importance of speaking up for oneself and actively promoting one’s best interests.
In addition, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) identified a need to better understand the current state of the self advocacy movement. As a result, AIDD, in collaboration with the Developmental Disabilities network, self-advocates, and allies, organized a series of nine regional summits across the country. The summits, held in 2011 and 2012, aimed to promote understanding and collaboration between self advocates and state and local policy makers. Here is the website created from the summits http://alliesinselfadvocacy.org/. From these summits, several summary reports were produced. They can be seen here http://alliesinselfadvocacy.org/2012-summit-report-2/ . We can hope for more self advocate participation in the policy making process in the future!
Please note: The 2011-12 data reports will be released and placed on the NCI website this Spring. For more in depth analysis of previous year’s NCI consumer survey data, please see http://www.nationalcoreindicators.org.