Whether you’re in the classroom, workplace, or otherwise participating in daily activities, understanding how to advocate for your needs can transform obstacles into opportunities.
Self-advocacy is a powerful tool necessary to communicate our needs to others. Improvements in self-advocacy can result in improved quality of life, resilience, independence, healthier relationships, and policy advancements.
In contrast, not speaking up for our needs can lead to strained relationships, less independence, missed opportunities, and chronic stress.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of self-advocacy and walk through key steps to help you become your best advocate.
Understanding the Need for Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy plays an important role in the lives of neurodivergent people, creating a path to empowerment and greater well-being. When you learn to speak up for what you need, you can access critical support that otherwise may not have been offered. Without self-advocacy, people may feel less successful due to environmental barriers. The following benefits further illustrate the importance of developing this essential skill.
Why is Self-Advocacy So Difficult?
Self-advocacy can be a difficult skill to start implementing. Obstacles to effective self-advocacy can stem from difficulties with self-awareness and fear of rejection. Those lacking a supportive network or prior experience in self-advocacy face even greater obstacles due to these factors.
- Self-awareness—Self-awareness requires an in-depth understanding of one’s needs, strengths, and boundaries. Learners may struggle to clearly describe their needs due to communication barriers, poor social skills, or uncertainty about one’s learning needs. Self-doubt or low confidence may prevent individuals from sharing their perspectives. Overcoming all barriers requires being reflective and assertive.
- Fear of Judgment or Rejection—Fear of judgment and rejection often deter learners from engaging in self-advocacy. There’s a risk of being misunderstood or misinterpreted when advocating. When misunderstood, neurodivergent individuals may have their needs minimized or undergo additional questioning. Differences in culture, upbringing, and norms can also discourage people from speaking up for their needs.
Benefits of Self-Advocacy
- Improved Quality of Life – Research shows that improving self-advocacy is associated with increased confidence, optimism, and happiness. When learners recognize the positive outcomes of advocacy, this often results in feeling empowered to speak up and provide input more often. Research focuses on self-advocacy’s ability to reduce negative thoughts and feelings, including stress and anxiety. People who know and understand their needs are less likely to criticize themselves when facing challenges (Stuntzner & Hartley, 2015, p. 7).
- Develop Resilience – Resiliency is the ability to “bounce back” from challenges, by adapting to stressors and overcoming them. A common barrier to self-advocacy is the fear of invalidation or rejection when faced with situations where you have to open yourself up and risk not being listened to. When learning to self-advocate, people learn to cope with and overcome these feelings. This develops resilience, or confidence to overcome similar challenges the next time they come around (Stuntzner & Hartley, 2015, p. 7).
- Greater Independence and Autonomy – When we learn to speak up for our needs, we feel more in control of our lives. This control allows us to handle tasks and make important decisions more easily. It also helps us find the right accommodations and resources (e.g., assistive technology, therapy, support groups, etc.) more quickly since we have the best idea of what we need to feel successful.
- Improvements to Social Relationships – Self-advocacy can also improve relationships and social interactions. When we learn to speak up for our needs, we can set better boundaries, leading to healthier and more understanding relationships. When our loved ones meet our needs, we feel more connected and secure with them. We are also more likely to meet other people with similar experiences, giving us the chance to form supportive relationships with those with whom we have things in common with (Stuntzner & Hartley, 2015, p. 6).
- Policy Advancements – On a larger scale, self-advocacy can help individuals and communities in many ways. By speaking up for yourself, you can show others why it’s important to make the community accessible for everyone. You can also encourage others to advocate for their own needs. When people come together and advocate for changes in the community, it can lead to better community recognition and support, which may lead to improved access to services and accommodations for all people (Tilley, Strnadová, Danker, Walmsley, & Loblinzk, 2020, p. 1162).
Consequences of Not Practicing Self-Advocacy
Our school, work, and daily living needs will only be met if we self-advocate. If the support and accommodations we need are not provided, this can lead to difficulties in daily functioning and overall well-being. In school, this can lead to inadequate support, poor academic performance, and limited access to resources.
At work, this can look like reduced job satisfaction, lower productivity, and even potential job loss. These stressors can add up, creating strained relationships, less independence, missed opportunities, and even chronic stress.
Importance of Recognizing Your Rights
Neurodivergent people are legally protected in school and work environments. It’s essential to be familiar with regulations that ensure you receive fair treatment and necessary accommodations. Self-advocacy is a process that you will have the opportunity to practice over time.
Protections in School
In school, students are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The IDEA is a national law that ensures students have rights and protections to support their progress in school. Neurodivergent students may be eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan at school to help address unique educational needs. An IEP ensures students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education when they are found eligible for additional support at school.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act ensures that individuals with disabilities are accommodated in the classroom and are not excluded from activities due to their needs. Schools have recurring meetings to review these plans and have families, teachers, and other providers discuss the learner’s needs. These meetings are excellent opportunities for students to advocate for what does and does not help in school.
Protections as a Young Adult
After leaving school, young adults are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The ADA protects employees from discrimination. This protects the rights of neurodivergent people, creating environments that support and respect their unique needs. Young adults in the workplace may wonder how to navigate job interviews and when you should disclose neurodivergence to a potential employer. Learning to request reasonable accommodations to support your best performance at work may also be necessary.
These sections do not exhaustively list protections for learners and young adults in the workforce. For more information on legal protections for those with neurodivergence in the United States, click here. For more information on international protections, click here.
Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy has three crucial components:
- Understanding your needs.
- Knowing what kind of support might help.
- Communicating that need to others.
For example, suppose you understand that you struggle with time management and know that an accommodation, like steps of a project broken down into smaller parts, would help you. In that case, you should communicate that need with your employer and develop a plan to help you with future projects. Below, the self-advocacy steps are broken down and explained in more detail.
- Reflect on your strengths and needs. Before starting to advocate, think deeply about your strengths, challenges, and specific needs. Think back to when accommodations or other supports could have improved your situation and the outcome(s). Likewise, consider accommodations that could be more helpful or ones you want to try. Using your experiences is important when reflecting on what you might need moving forward.
- Learn more about your rights. Learn more about your legal protections under the above-mentioned laws, like ADA, IDEA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Take some time to research resources and accommodations that others have used for similar challenges, and reflect on how those same supports might work for you. It may be helpful to try implementing some of those supports into your daily life and document the outcomes. If you have insight into the positive outcomes of accommodations you have already tried, it may make it easier to explain to others.
- Set SMART goals for yourself. Think about goals you want to meet over short (e.g., “How will I complete that project next month?”) and long (e.g., “How would I like my position to look next year?”) periods of time. Establish clear and achievable goals for what you would want to see change through self-advocacy. It may help to list the challenges you experience and what you would like the outcome to be instead. From there, identify what might help to make those changes. It may help to start small, as you will learn what might work well for you through trial and error!
- Make a formal request. Once you have learned more about yourself, your rights, and what you would like to see change, it’s time to formally request a meeting with someone who can help establish necessary support and accommodations. At school, this might be an administrator or a student service professional. At work, this might be your supervisor or Human Resources. You can assemble your documentation and evidence to support your request if necessary. Then, create a written request outlining your needs and the support you seek. After your written request is received, this will begin the process established by the organization.
- Follow-up after implementation. Once you have established a plan with your school, work, or community facility, it’s important to outline a plan for when you will touch base with your teachers or supervisors to discuss how the accommodations are working. If this is your first time having accommodations, it may be helpful to establish a follow-up meeting to ensure everything is in place. The number of times you follow up will likely vary. At first, you might touch base more often to make sure the plan is working. Later on, you might only follow up when needed. Organizations may differ in the process of checking in.
Additional Tips for Success
There are a few more tips and tricks to keep in mind when learning and practicing self-advocacy.
- Prepare for problem-solving and collaboration. Be prepared to further discuss your needs, previous supports, and the documentation you collected. You may need to negotiate and find solutions with colleagues, employers, or educators. It’s important to remain flexible and open to alternative options that may meet your needs. After testing out options, you can always revisit the support you have been provided, discussing how it has helped and how it could be improved. It may help to reference your documentation of what has and has not worked for you in the past when problem-solving with others. If you disagree with the outcomes of a meeting, you may explore other options to advocate for yourself.
- Find a support group to connect and brainstorm with. Joining a social group of people who share similar experiences can make you feel more satisfied and empowered Tilley, (Strnadová, Danker, Walmsley, & Loblinzk, 2020, p. 1159). It’s important that you have a support network to lean on when you start advocating for yourself. Self-advocacy can be a challenging skill to learn and implement, with challenges that might arise along the way. Look for supportive people in your life, such as family, friends, teachers, or counselors who can support you. You can also join support groups of other neurodivergent people who can share personal stories of success and provide personal tips.
- Communication skills are an important piece of self-advocacy (Kleinert, Harrison, Fisher, & Kleinert, 2010, p. 16). To advocate for your needs, you should practice voicing those needs to friends or family. You can even role-play with a support network or practice with a coach who can give you feedback. Good communication skills include being clear and assertive. It can be helpful to think about the conversation ahead of time and consider any questions that might come up. Your support network can then help you prepare for tough questions so you feel more confident when it’s time to advocate in other situations. Regardless of how you communicate (e.g., vocally, visually, and/or with adapted supports), you might need extra support to prepare for the best way to express your needs.
Additional Resources and Tools
Learning to self-advocate can be challenging and overwhelming at first. People learning how to self-advocate will benefit from opportunities to do so independently while also receiving social and emotional support from their support system. While people are learning to find their voice, they are also navigating barriers they encounter along the way, such as stigma, fear of judgment, or uncertainty.
When we think about the development of daily living skills, it’s important to note that advocacy is an Advanced Plus+ Self-Determination skill. This means that people must first have a strong foundation that includes communication skills, executive functioning, primary needs (health, safety, household), and well-being needs (leisure/recreation, wellness) before developing personal advocacy. Please see the Building Daily Living Skills pyramid below for a visual on how these skills are developed.
Self-advocacy skills go a long way when solving problems that would otherwise stand in the way of improved quality of life. If you’ve decided that self-advocacy is something that you or a learner you know would benefit from, there are a few places to start.
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- Visit the Executive Functioning 101 Resource Hub to learn more daily living tips and tricks, some of which can be advocated for at work and school.
- Since self-advocacy can be an overwhelming skill to master and other executive functioning and communication needs may also need support, daily living skills coaching can help you receive individualized, professional guidance to reach your goals. Remember, progress can always be made towards greater independence!
TL;DR – (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
Self-advocacy is an important tool for neurodivergent individuals in school, work, and in the community. Learning to speak up for yourself results in improved well-being, independence, and social relationships. Self-advocacy can even result in developing advocacy groups that inform others and impact policy. Without self-advocacy, we are less likely to access crucial support and may feel overwhelmed and stressed during daily living tasks. Various laws, including IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, are in place to protect the rights and accommodations necessary for students and adults to feel successful.
The three steps to self-advocacy include understanding your needs, knowing what kind of support might help, and communicating that need to others. When learning how to advocate for yourself, it can be helpful to break the process down into five steps, such as reflecting on your needs, gathering information, setting goals, making formal requests for support, and following up. It’s also important to prepare for problem-solving/negotiation, create a support network, and practice necessary communication skills. A foundation of communication, executive functioning, and other daily living skills are necessary as we work to develop self-determination needs. You can find additional support by exploring resources or consulting a life skills coach to help you develop daily living skills like self-advocacy.
Further Reading
- Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (2023) – International Disability Rights Laws
- Goodley (1998) – Supporting People with Learning Difficulties in Self-Advocacy Groups and Models of Disability
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – About IDEA
- Kleinert, Harrison, Fisher, & Kleinert (2010) – “I Can” and “I Did:” Self-Advocacy for Young Students with Developmental Disabilities
- Sheridan (2023) – Self-Advocacy
- Stuntzner & Hartley (2015) – Balancing Self-compassion with Self-Advocacy: A New Approach for Persons with Disabilities Learning to Self-advocate
- The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences (2020) – Self-Advocacy: Selfish or Powerful? How to use Self-Advocacy to Strengthen Your Relationship
- Tilley, Strnadová, Danker, Walmsley, & Loblinzk (2020) – The Impact of Self‐Advocacy Organizations on the Subjective Well‐Being of People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the Literature
- Understood – What is Self-Advocacy?
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Fact Sheet
- U.S. Department of Labor – Americans with Disabilities Act
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination
- Life Skills Advocate – Laws & Legal Protections for Those With Neurodiversity
- Life Skills Advocate – How to Use SMART Goal Setting to Teach Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate – How to Talk About Your Neurodivergence in a Job Interview
- Life Skills Advocate – Daily Living Skills By Age: A Guide for Parents & Teachers + Developmental Chart
- Life Skills Advocate – Executive Functioning 101 Resource Hub
- Life Skills Advocate – Real-Life Executive Function Coaching