Charmelle: A Teacher’s Journey to Learning Self-Advocacy, Part Two

In my last post, I shared with you about my personal journey to self-advocacy and how it was not only a valuable skill for me, but a valuable skill for us to teach to our students. As special educators, we look to find ways to empower our students and encourage their growth every day.

The one skill that is sometimes unintentionally overlooked is self-determination. Self-determination is not only having the ability to self-direct one’s life but it encompasses many  skills, including making choices, problem solving, making decisions, setting and attaining goals, self-awareness, self-regulation, self-advocacy and self-efficacy (Wood, Karvonen, Test, Browder, & Algozzine, 2004).

So, I invite you and your students to take this journey with me. Our first stop is continuing to look at self-advocacy and explore10 steps mentioned on a The LD Pride website, which I found helpful. This website also shares a self-advocacy manual that could be provided to some of your students or used as a resource for teaching.

The 10 Steps are:

1. Accept your disability.
2. Admit your disability to others.
3. Understand your learning style.
4. Realize how "other issues" might interfere with your self-advocacy.
5. Know what you need.
6. Anticipate your needs in each class.
7. Know your rights and responsibilities.
8. Be willing to compromise.
9. Know where to go for support.
10. Plan for the future. 

I would like to challenge all of my Reality 101 readers to share how you are encouraging the self-determination and self-advocacy of your students. If you are not currently teaching, how would you teach these skills to your future students? What are some of the barriers you might face? Are any steps in the process missing from this list?  My hope is that we can come together to share and discuss ideas to help us all better help our students. 

Comments

[Mary Beth Diehl]

Hi all. Since I teach early childhood Sped, much of my self-advocacy work is done with my student's parents. IT IS HARD. Many parents are so busy looking at the trees of their child's day-to-day life that they have lost sight of the forest. Ex: Feeding yr 4 year old will not help her to be independent. "Yes, ma'am, it's easier, faster, and less messy. However, do you plan to keep doing it for the rest of her life? You do realize that she won't just wake up & learn how to hold a spoon on her own." I've had to say just that to parents--this is why I always take my paras on home visits--they are SO much more tactful than moi. :) At my end of spec ed, I've had to accept that just getting parents to realize that their child can be independent may be all I can accomplish, and that it is OK to focus on one routine/skill at a time. Small steps, every day :)

[Katherine Williams]

I agree with your comments regarding the self-determination comments. I am in the process of obtaining my Masters Degree in Special Education because in the educational system now there are so many Special Education students that are in the Regular Education classroom.
I liked the 10 steps that you posted to self-advocacy. Many times students or people in general have a hard time coming to grasp with their disabilities or problems that they may have. The 10 step process is a way for people to self assess themselves and come to terms with anything that they may have issues with.

[Nanette]

I have always encouraged my students take ownership of their education by including them in their education plan and by having them learn self advocacy in the classroom. Skills I hope they will carry into adult life. This ownership makes them responsible participants in their own future. I really think that you make vary good points.

[Charmelle Smith]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments.
@Minette Morgan_ It makes me feel really good that you are finding the post both interesting and helpful.

@Miranda. I love how you brought up about the principal of Kujichagulia referring to self-determination. I can remember learning that when I was younger and how meaningful for all students to learn alongside our students with disabilities. And Practice of it is key :)

@Anne_ I like the idea of a to do list.

@Ryan_ I am glad you found the post helpful. Please come back and share how it goes in your class. And I would love for you to come back and keep reading the post :)

[Ryan Solomon]

This was a great refresher for me because I have been trying to push these concepts to some of my students about to graduate and the importance of knowing how it can and will affect them in society.

I plan to review and discuss the 10 steps mentioned with them in my study skills class tomorrow. I am looking forward to reading future blogs.

[Anne Tranquilli-Bausher]

In thinking about self-advocacy and how we can help students work on this very important skill, I wonder if anyone has ever used an app like Dooo? I figure a good to-do list type app that allows you to prioritize as well as customize with photos and audio could be a powerful tool for students. Teachers, parents and students could work together in coming up with goals (academic, personal and other) and then create lists of these goals in a way that students can easily understand- either through audio, photos of familiar places/people/things, or written out. Students who use an ipad in class could then track their progress and reference their goals whenever they wish.

[Minnette Morgan]

Charmelle, I agree with you about self determination being overlooked. I am glad to learn of the LD Pride website and the 10 steps mentioned. I especially agree with the "Accept your disability" and "Know your rights and responsibilities." Your posts are very interesting and helpful. Keep up your good work. Minnette Morgan

[Miranda Jones]

I completely agree with you concerning self-determination and self-advocacy. In fact, because I am an Afrocentric and deal with majority African-Americans in Special Education (which is quarrelsome for me), I always make sure to tell them to learn how to figure out what they need, how to get it, and who to talk to. Often they come to me, which I appreciate because they know that I care, but I send them to the teacher or specialist with whom they should be talking. In a sense, I am trying to empower them. Nothing feels better than when they go and admit that they are struggling and ask how they and their teacher can come to a consensus on how to help them succeed. I wonder if they sometimes feel like they can't speak up or speak out. Plus I like the fact that self-determination is a Kwanzaa principle and I try to push those principles both personally and professionally. In a nutshell I think you have summed up self-determination. If we can pratice it rigorously, I think we are on to something.