The summer before college entails a long to-do list: from
buying sheets and scoping out the campus to picking class schedules. At times,
especially after about 15 trips to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, it can seem as
though that to-do list is never-ending. But, there is one thing (actually, one
skill) that college students with disabilities can’t leave home without: their
ability to advocate for themselves.
Self advocacy is important for every college student. We all
have to learn how to tell a roommate to turn his music down because we need to
sleep or to ask the professor for an extension on a paper when we are sick. But
for students with disabilities, self advocacy can make all the difference in
terms of how new relationships are formed, how comfortable the student is in his
or her own skin , and how successful the students is in obtaining the resources
that he or she needs . In short, it can make or break the college experience.
Self advocacy, or speaking up for what you want and need in
terms of your disability, can be uncomfortable at first. If your experience in high school is at all
similar to mine, you are accustomed to your parents and teachers taking the
lead in meeting your disability-associated educational needs. Your input may be solicited, but the process
is driven by the adults and schools in your life.
College, or any post-high school endeavor, means a new
version of the “3 Rs’” – rights, responsibilities, and rules – for young people
with disabilities. (Check out http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/530901.pdf
regarding reasonable accommodations in
the college setting.)
To obtain some expert advice on successful self-advocacy strategies,
I spoke with Gavin Steiger, the Director of Disability Services at University
of Houston- Clear Lake. Mr. Steiger was kind enough to offer some great insights
about how to advocate for yourself effectively.
Here are some tips from our conversation:
·
Start
Early: As Mr. Steiger points out, it is important to get comfortable
advocating for yourself as soon as possible which ideally should well before
you start college. The more initiative you can take in high school, in terms of
participating in IEP meetings or speaking up for yourself with classmates, the
more comfortable you will be speaking about your disability in college.
·
First,
Know Yourself: In college, the
choice to disclose or not disclose your disability is completely up to you. You
decide whether to have the conversation, who to have it with, and how much to
share. Should you decide to have the
conversation, though, how you
describe your disability and the accommodation
or help that you may need could go a long way toward making the
conversation easier for the other person.. and for you.
One great piece of advice from Mr. Steiger
is this: the more knowledgeable you are about your disability and how it affects you in terms of required
assistance, the more comfortable you will become with addressing the subject.
The conversation will differ depending on
the context and who you are talking with
(roommate, professor, dining staff, etc). But as Mr. Steiger points out, the
more comfortable you are with yourself and your disability, the easier it will
be to have an open conversation about
the accommodations you need. This may help the other person to better
understand where your coming from and respond effectively.
·
When in
Doubt . . . Talk it Out
But what happens when you muster
the confidence to request a reasonable accommodation and a professor or other
college staff member is unwilling to provide what you need? Mr. Steiger advises
that a little explanation usually goes a long way.
In most cases, he notes, if you are able to
have a conversation with the person in a clear, assertive but respectful and
positive fashion ( i.e. how what you are asking for will enable and empower
your success), people will be willing to be a partner in your success by
accommodating you.
If not, however, Mr. Steiger emphasizes
that you should feel good about reaching out to the Disability Services Office
at your school for help. These offices are there to assist you in making sure
you get what you need to succeed. Often, all that is needed is for a
professional to reframe the conversation and the context so that it becomes clear
what accommodation is need.
In the event that neither of these
strategies is successful, you have the right to ask the Office to take further
action, and you even have the option of legal action as a last resort. When it
comes to self advocacy, though, remember:
Self Advocacy=
Empowerment= Success
Please share your stories, comments, or
questions about what it’s like to self- advocate!
Most importantly, thanks so much to Gavin Steiger for his excellent advice and valuable perspective!
