Core Elements of Self-Advocacy
February 5, 2025
Self-Advocacy: Learn. Model. Teach.
February 19, 2025
As we continue to explore self-advocacy there are levels beyond basic and core elements. These may be needed for longer term objectives or bigger goals. Many of them will require the support or input of people working together. As with any list of ingredients these can be put together in a lot of different ways to create the change you are seeking or address the challenge you are facing. Basic and core elements are your foundation which can be strengthened by these advanced elements. They are focused resources, communication skills, and collaboration.
Focused Resources
These are time, money, and other resources dedicated to your goal. It might be as simple as scheduled time to make phone calls and a notebook to keep track of your information. Or it could be days spent doing research and a computer to write up and communicate results. Depending on your objective you may need gas money, funds to rent a space, or legal fees. You may need meeting rooms that accommodate people’s physical or neurodivergent needs. The larger and more long term your goal the more likely it is that you will need resources focused on your specific situation.
Communication Skills
Getting a clear message across can be difficult particularly when you are passionate about your situation, it can be tempting to tell the whole back story. Learning to make your point to the right person in a way that creates change is a process. At the simplest level it is about getting to the point in a phone call, crafting an effective email, or getting someone’s attention. Communication skills include doing research to find the information you need, using critical thinking skills to sift through what you have learned, and deciding who needs to know what. You may need to talk to people by phone, email, in person, or from a stage. Communication includes the use of art, music, dance and other mediums.
Collaboration
As you work on advocating for yourself you are likely to find others who have the same concern. What starts as self-advocacy can turn into a collaborative effort. This might mean shifting your focus and working together to create a different goal or objective. Working with others can allow you to divide up the tasks, learn from one another, and get mutual support. It also requires cooperation, compromise, and respecting needs and differences. Working with others can create powerful change but does require time and energy caring for the group process.
The larger your goal the more likely it is that you will need advanced elements in self-advocacy. Focused resources are the time, money and other resources you need to get your objectives met. Communication skills will allow you to deliver effective, succinct messages. Collaboration brings the power of community to your objectives. Adding these advanced elements to your basic and core elements levels up your advocacy journey.
Peace,
Laura
