Self-Advocacy Survival Guide

 

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!