John: Self-Advocacy Topics and Tips, Part Two

I have a short list of things I have learned as I taught the skills listed in my first self-advocacy piece. I know all students and classes are different, but if you have students similar to mine, these tips may be helpful when broaching the topic of having a disability.

1. Be direct/honest
I get right to the point and talk very matter-of-factly when talking about disabilities and weaknesses. No need to make a big deal out of this discussion or to “beat around the bush.” Just get to the point explain it like you explain anything else. If you don’t overreact to this conversation, your students will be less likely to overreact when told they have a disability.

2. Don’t talk down to students
Two of my students were up in arms yesterday after they thought a teacher was talking down to them. I really don’t know what specifics to tell you about how to avoid talking down to students. In fact, when my students were telling me what had happened, I got nervous and asked if I ever talk to them in a way that makes them upset. Thankfully, they said no. The only thing I can suggest is know your students well and talk to them on a level that is developmentally appropriate. Focusing on things they cannot do because of a disability and using materials or language that is developmentally below your students are just two things my students have referenced as ways things that make them feel inferior when talking about disabilities.

3. Give hope
When talking about disabilities, especially if you are being direct and honest about disabilities, it can be easy for students to leave the conversation with a sense of despair. For students in an occupational diploma track, one of the big questions I get asked is, “Will I be able to go to [insert student’s favorite four year college] after I graduate?” When students are told that very few colleges accept students with occupational diplomas, they can get upset. This reality and others related to having a disability can be upsetting.

I attempt to give students hope each time we talk about disabilities. For example, this week my students asked if they would be able to go to Clemson University when they graduated. I had to tell them that they could not be accepted like any other student, but I told them about the ClemsonLIFE program for students with intellectual disabilities and the possibility of them attending. The students got very excited and decided they wanted to visit the program. They are now planning their own field trip to tour Clemson and ask questions of the students in the program. A topic that could have been depressing—I won’t be able to be accepted as a regular student at a four year college—turned into a very exciting opportunity for the students.

Self-advocacy skills are something I believe should be taught to students. Teachers may face heavy opposition from students when talking about disabilities, especially if you teach older students. If you don’t believe that these skills are necessary for students to succeed, you may be tempted to quit teaching them. However, self-advocacy skills will affect nearly every area of life after high school for students with disabilities. College classes, job interviews, living with a roommate, and dozens of other situations require a person to be a self-advocate. Students with disabilities will need explicit instruction in self-advocacy to be successful in these situations.

Comments

[Eric Rothdiener]

I am a second year special education teacher in a middle school setting. I often face the dilemma of how to talk to students and their parents about their disabilities and weaknesses. Many times I have found myself "beating around the bush" in fear of what their response may be. Other times, I have been more direct, which I agree is a better approach and the student and/or parent will respect you more for that. The giving hope piece is another dilemma faced every day by teachers like us. I have tried to implement the idea of a "sandwich technique". Whenever I am talking to my students and have to bring up something they did wrong or struggled with, I always start the conversation with a positive about a strength of theirs or something they did accurately, then hit on the weakness, followed by another positive comment. The first positive comment engages the student to listen to you, then they hear about the weakness with a more open mind, and finally you leave them with hope by giving them another positive comment. This way may not be the best way to handle situations, but is a way that I have found to be successful with multiple students, so I wanted to share. Thanks for your thoughts John!

[VideoLibrary]

I loved you post and approach as you are supporting students with understanding. This is something that i think need to work more by every teacher. Thanks for the post i really enjoyed your post and hope to read more such informative posts.

[Amber Yap]

John,

I ejoyed reading your blog and approach you take in supporting students with understanding they have a disability, but there is more to them than that. Giving them the hope they need and believing in them that they can succeed helps to believe in themselves. As their teachers we are in the perfect position to preparing them for their futures.

[Liz]

I cannot stress how important it is to give hope to students with disabilities as well as their parents. But while giving hope we also need to make sure we are realistic and not giving false hope to them. I think that we need to stress the importance of the occupational diploma and the self-help skills that the program teaches. I think that it is important to point out to the students that we need to teach them helpful skills that will help them live independently.

[Kelsey]

I agree with your blog this week and I really relate to it as I am working in a high school this semester. Being explicit and honest with your students can be extremely helpful to students when teaching self advocacy. This is something that I would like to work on more with my students so that as they exit high school and go into the work force they are able to help other understand their disability and work with it instead of looking at it as a negative thing. Thank you for the tips!

[Emma]

John,
I agree! Being honest is the best policy when dealing with students who have disabilities. They are curious and have different fears and concerns the same as everyone else and if people "beat around the bush" or give an answer that is only a half truth, they only end up hurt. Talking down to students is something that I've seen teachers struggle with even at the elementary level. I'm student teaching in an elementary school and I have a few teachers who will talk above, around, through, and over the student to talk with the para or sped teacher, instead of talking to the student who is fully capable of answering the question or carrying on the conversation themselves. It's frustrating to me, so I can only imagine what it feels like for that student. I like your last one, Give Hope. For many of these students they have no hope because that is what they have been taught over the years. It is so important for everyone to have hope!

[Kayla]

John,
I agree with you that students with disabilities will need explicit instruction when it comes to self-advocacy, especially if they are just learning about their disability and/or self-advocacy. Learning more about their disability can be a confusing and difficult time for students. It is best to explain and teach clearly for them to get the most out of the self-advocacy lessons.
I feel that your first point is crucial for teaching self-advocacy. I feel that many students experience dishonesty or “sugar-coating” when it comes to their disability. There are many students with disabilities that have people in their lives that will not tell them the whole truth about their disability or give them the tools to be self-advocates. For those students, it is essential that they have someone that will tell them the truth about their disability and teach them skills that will help them live with their disability and advocate for themselves. Thanks for your post!

[Hailey K]

John,
I appreciate your advice. I for one am a huge believer in self advocacy for our students and believe the more they know about their disability the better. When I say this I don't mean that their disability should be an excuse for them, but more of a way for them to help others understand them better. I believe also that we should teach our students that they come before their disability as well. I agree with you that giving hope to our students is very important, along with teaching them self advocacy. I believe that students should be aware of their disability and the characteristics that go along with it. Self advocacy is a life long lesson that is so important for our students to learn, thanks for sharing!

[Jamie]

Dear John,

I appreciate your advice on presenting this topic to our students with disabilities. I agree that it is so important for each individual student to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and to know how to self-advocate. I also completely agree that we will not do them any justice if we try and sugar-coat it. While we are many times the biggest advocates for our students, we have to realize that we can't always be there for them so if we are not teaching them how to advocate for themselves, we are not fulfilling our duties as teachers of special education.

I currently work with an adult with a disability and she has brought it to my attention that she would prefer to live independently rather than with a foster provider. She is very high functioning but lacks many of the skills necessary to live independently, not because she cannot learn them but because she hasn't started working on them until now. I am not an expert on her life by any means, but it is my belief that had she been taught to self-advocate in her younger years (she is now 48), she would have been able to begin working on these skills long before now because she is completely capable of learning them. This upsets me. I feel as though somewhere along the line, this individual has been let down. She is not yet living her life to her fullest potential. I hope that as a special education teacher, I can prevent this from happening to any of my students.

So thank you for what you do and thank you for sharing.

[John]

@Brooke Thanks for the encouraging comment! I think knowing your students is one of the most important parts of being a teacher.

[Brooke]

John- I read the first part of this blog and now I've read the second and it's become clear to me that you understand your students very well. You know how you want to treat them and talk to them and what you want them to get out of your discussions. Although we are all still learning, I can only hope that other educators out there are as "in-tune" with their students as you are. Self-advocacy is important for students to understand and turning the college discussion into a positive opportunity is a great way to get students excited for the future. Thanks for the post!

[John]

@Muga I agree about talking to students individually and also that self-advocacy is important for all students, even those without disabilities. Thanks for the comment!

[Muga Katoke]

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. Like anything else, students with special needs to be taught how to self advocate. Self advocacy is not a skill that is necessary only in the field of special education. It is necessary in life. I work with high school students with emotional disabilities and the biggest hurdle I face is how to engage them in a meaningful conversation that will provide results. Most of the time the students will shut down. I have found that what work best is getting them into a one to one conversation and being frank.