As Christopher Reeves, actor and disability advocate, said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Self-advocacy allows individuals to express their needs and how they might need help. Practice is the best way to build these skills and learn how to use them effectively. Self-advocacy is a critical part of the individual education plan (IEP) and it can be hard to know how to ask for specific goals to help promote self-advocacy skills.
Self-advocacy goals will most likely go under the pre-vocational section of the IEP. A student would need to be expectational in pre-vocational section of the IEP and then goals and services would be developed to help promote self-advocacy skills.
Developing self-advocacy skills can start at an early age. This might look like learning to ask for a break, asking for help, following directions/schedule, and so much more. This can be done by using visuals and helping teach students that there is an effective way to express what they need. You want to make sure the goal is measurable, and data is being taken frequently on the goal to track progress.
As the student continues to grow, the goals might change. Some examples might include learning how to explain their disability to a teacher, learning how to ask for accommodations, and being an active member of the IEP team. When a student turns fourteen, they should be invited to attend the IEP meeting and give input on goals they might like to work on or other areas they need help in. This is a great time for students to really learn what components are in their IEPs. Some students may choose to be involved in part of the meeting or the whole meeting. Some great ways to get student involvement in the IEP are to have them contribute to their strengths, introduce IEP team members, explain what accommodations are helpful, and subject areas where they might need more support.
Self-advocacy is the foundation of the IEP and truly prepares the student to transition out of the school environment into employment, independent living, or other post-secondary programs. Whether students want to have jobs or attend college after high school, each student will have to advocate for their unique needs. This is why it is so important to work on self-advocacy skills throughout the entire time they are in school. By being able to express their needs and desires, it helps them learn how to face obstacles with resilience and courage. Courage is a lifelong skill that will carry you through some of the hardest moments and allow you to keep taking steps in the right direction. Before the next IEP meeting, it might be a good time to think about how to incorporate self-advocacy into the IEP and how the IEP might be able to support the student in this area.