29-09-2022

Things I like and things I’d CHANGE

SELF ADVOCACY You will learn about:
What three things do you like
most about your life -three
Being an ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE(Changing things you would not want to
the service system) change?

Deciding WHAT to change

What three things would you
like to change about your life—
Making an ACTION PLAN for change at home, at work, or in the
MOUMITA BISWAS community?
LECTURER IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
M.BISWAS,
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition NIEPID RC KOLKATA
of Kansas 2 Adapted by the Self Advocate CoalitionM.BISWAS,
of Kansas NIEPID RC KOLKATA 3

YOUR voice can be POWERFUL What is a “SELF ADVOCATE”?

You can be an “ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE” A Self Advocate is…
People with
developmental disabilities  A person who speaks
up for himself or herself
SPEAKING OUT and lets others know
can be what he or she thinks.

POWERFUL
Advocates for Change ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE: Someone who speaks up
and takes action to make
things different.
Someone who
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
changes things!
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KansasNIEPID RC KOLKATA 6
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Being a Self Advocate means… Being a SELF ADVOCATE means… Being a SELF ADVOCATE means…

Knowing RIGHTS and

Solving problems and making RESPONSIBILITIES
SPEAKING for
decisions
OURSELVES

Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas

Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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Individual Level Problems

Being a SELF ADVOCATE means… Two Levels of Advocacy… For example…

You need help with your

Contributing to your Individual: •Changes that you (or a banking
COMMUNITY friend) need in your own
services and supports. Your friend doesn’t like her
job

You are having trouble

•Changes in policies or getting around town
System: rules that everybody in
the service system
Your friend doesn’t like
needs. where he lives
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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System Level Problems

You might want to change the rules about…
4 steps to change 1. What is the Problem?
Making a Plan and Taking Action
How money is used for DEFINE the The stoplight doesn’t last
developmental disability 1) What is the problem? problem. long enough.
services

What would be The crosswalk would be

2) Who can fix it? long enough so that
What kinds of family support BETTER?
services a family can get disabled people could
3) What should I do? safely cross the street.
Who lives in an institution
and who lives in the
community with residential 4) Did I get the change I
services wanted?
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of KansasNIEPID RC KOLKATA 14 Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas

3. Decide what ACTIONS to take

Define some 2. Decide who can fix it • ASK for what you want
problems in your
Who can make and get SUPPORT for
life? the changes your idea
you want?
• Make the message
What would be •Yourself
LOUDER
better? •Family or friend
•Support staff • Ask AGAIN
•Government

Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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Ask for what you want Make the message

LOUDER! ASK AGAIN
• Meet personally with the
decision maker If you asked
again, and there Big problems need big
• Write letters
is no action or solutions and take longer to
• Make phone calls answer... fix.
• Go to meetings
• plan a march Don’t give up.
• Draft legislation • public rally
Get SUPPORT for your idea • letter writing
campaign
GET THE WORD OUT!
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
M.BISWAS,
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of NIEPID
Kansas RC KOLKATA 19 M.BISWAS, NIEPID RC KOLKATA 20 M.BISWAS, NIEPID RC KOLKATA 21
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas

4. Did you get the change you wanted?

If no, make changes to

your plan and get back
to work.
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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Step 2 – Admit your disability to others Step 4 – Find out what “other issues” might get in the
Self-Advocacy This doesn’t mean making an announcement on the way of being an advocate for yourself
Self Advocacy Is… loudspeaker or telling everyone you see. • Self-esteem, peer pressure, embarrassment, problems
Important people to tell are: close friends, parents, communicating your needs and problems, attention
Ability to communicate or Ten Steps
negotiate for your own teachers, employers problems, shyness
Step 1 – Accept your Step 5 – Know what you need
interests, desires, needs, It is hard to do this until you have accepted your
disability
and rights. It involves disability and feel comfortable talking about it. • Only YOU know what YOU need to help you learn best.
making informed  YOU ARE NOT
DUMB OR STUPID • What will help you most? What will help you least?
decisions and taking
responsibility for those  Being able to admit Step 3 – Understand your learning style Step 6 – Start thinking about your needs in each class
decisions. to yourself that you • There are many different learning styles and • Don’t wait to talk to the teacher about what you need,
have trouble with combinations. do it right away and continue doing it through the year
certain parts of • Visual, Reading, Hands-on/doing as things come up or change.
your learning is very Before tests or big projects remind your teacher and ask
important • If you don’t know how you learn best, you can’t ask for
accommodations that would help you most. for your modifications or accommodations
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Step 7 – Know your rights and responsibilities Step 10 – Plan for the future
• You have legal rights to a good education and rights to
certain things that may help you. • A lot of times it is about one day at a time, one
• Know your rights so you can stick up for yourself and get assignment at a time, but it is important to think
what you need. of the future.
Step 8 – Be willing to compromise • What do YOU want? Don’t limit your options
• Not all teachers will be willing to give you all
accommodations.
just because you have difficulties in certain
• Be flexible, but also don’t give in to something if you know areas.
you can’t succeed. • Set goals for yourself and your future.
• Make a deal with the teacher and follow through.
• Start planning for ways you can reach those
Step 9 – Know where to go for support
goals.
• When you have problems getting what you need who do
you go to?
•  Who are some ofM.BISWAS,
these people?
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• 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
• Why is Self-Advocacy important? • Who is a Self-Advocate? • • 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
• It is important to learn self-advocacy skills • • Someone who says what they think and feel the one
because it helps you decide what you • • Someone who speaks-up for things they believe in • who has to live your life so you should be able to make decisions which
affect you.
• want and what is possible for you to expect. • • Someone who knows and understands their rights • • You need to have support to make and achieve your goals, the final
• When you have good self-advocacy skills you can and responsibili?es decision
have more control and make the • • Someone who takes responsibility for their own life • 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
• life decisions that are best for you. • • Someone who makes decisions that affect their life the best
• Self-advocacy helps to empower you, to speak-up • • Someone who helps to improve their life • choices and fix those that did not work.
for yourself and make decisions • • Someone who tries to change the way things are
• • 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.
• about your life. done

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Barriers to Advocacy Barriers to Advocacy

• Being unprepared • Being unwilling to listen to other people or to
explore alternate solutions
• Fearing retaliation or worrying that others will
think you are ridiculous • Feeling inferior or less educated than those Be Assertive
• Being aggressive with whom you have to deal
• Having English as your second language
• Being unaware of your rights
• Having unrealistic expectations Not Aggressive

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Being Assertive is: Specific Skills

• Knowing your limitations but focusing on your • Listening
strengths • Being aware of your body language
• Being your real self • Connecting feelings with behaviours
• Labelling your feelings • Expressing your feelings
• Identifying and breaking down your own
defences

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Unproductive Formation of self advocacy group

Specific Skills Advocacy Styles
• Avoiding sarcasm,character assassination or • Passive or Submissive
absolutes • Aggressive
• Giving alternate behaviours • Passive-Aggressive
• Learning to say no
• Manipulative
• Learning to avoid manipulation
• Control Your Feelings
• Learning to see how others evade your
assertive requests • Be positive
• Inventory your feelings

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• Parivaar in partnership with CBM has been conducting self-

SELF ADVOCACY SKILLS FOR PERSONS WITH ID advocacy training for persons with intellectual and
SELF ADVOCACY IN INDIA developmental disabilities, in India.
• It started with Parivaar CBM (erstwhile Christoffel Blinden
Mission, Germany) collaboration in 2006.
• It was then decided that in addition to capacity building of
parents and their organisations, self-advocacy training for
PWIDD’S should be carried out by Parivaar so that self-advocacy
training is done seamlessly in the community settings.
• After a few years of experiment and training, a national forum
was christened as “Self Advocates’ Forum of India (Safi),
creating a platform to raise their voice. This forum provided a
platform to connect self-advocates and their mentors all over
India and draw strength out of this grand union.
• The first Safi National Convention held at Vishva Yuvak Kendra,
New Delhi in 2013 where the first National Executive Council
has been formed through a process of democratic voting
process. Safi has conducted four National Conventions since
2013.
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If you did get the changes you wanted…

CELEBRATE!
Adapted by the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
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