I learned a long
time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for
myself and others like me.
- Maya
Angelou
Growing up I was taught that I needed to speak up for myself
and that if I wanted something I should go after it. I was always encouraged to speak my mind, to
advocate for what I thought was right for myself and for others. As an adult, I seem to spend the bulk of my
waking hours going to bat for my own children or my students.
As educators we know the importance of students advocating
for their needs. We want the student who
came to school without their glasses because they broke to ask to sit closer to
the board. We want the student who
didn't hear the directions clearly to ask for them to be repeated. We want the student with a peanut allergy who
was mistakenly given trail mix at lunch to return it and ask for an
alternative.
According to an information sheet by the Pacer Center, "How
You Can Help Your Child Learn to Be a Good Self Advocate", self
advocacy means:
taking
the responsibility for communicating one’s needs and desires in a
straightforward
manner to others. It is a set of skills that includes:
•
Speaking up for yourself
•
Communicating your strengths, needs and wishes
•
Being able to listen to the opinions of others, even when their opinions differ
from yours
•
Having a sense of self-respect
•
Taking responsibility for yourself
•
Knowing your rights
•
Knowing where to get help or who to go to with a question
For the years that I taught in my own classroom, I instilled
these same values of self-advocacy in my students. For example, when a student wanted to stay
after school for a club, he had to ask for an interpreter to be there with him. When I signed something to the class, but the
student was looking the other way, she had to ask for me to repeat it. When a student decided that she only wanted
to talk that day, those students who could not hear had to ask me to interpret
it into sign language. When I forgot to
turn on the FM microphone, instead of the student accepting that he couldn't
hear me, he had developed the self advocacy skills to speak up and ask me to
turn it on. We would practice these
through discussions, role play, and any teachable moment that arose when a
student brought up an issue that needed to be solved.
Since being an itinerant teacher, though, I find that because
I am not with my students all day every day, I must directly teach them how to speak
up for themselves. It is imperative that
they understand their strengths, needs, and rights in order to be successful in
school. I now include self advocacy
goals on IEPs. Here are a few examples
with included objective examples. The
first example is for a younger elementary aged student and the second example
for a high school student.
Given information presented orally, student will effectively use her
self-advocacy skills to participate in collaborative discussions with peers and
adults.
- When information is presented orally, student will locate the source of the information and face the speaker.
- When information is presented orally, student will recognize when she missed the information and ask the speaker for repetition or clarification.
Student will use his self advocacy skills to determine his needs for
accommodations and modifications on test, assignments, homework, and before and
after school events will require him to need the assistance of the teacher, interpreter,
and/or paraprofessional aide.
- Student will identify and explain the appropriate supports and services he requires in different settings.
- Student will summarize the aspects of certain laws (IDEA, ADA, Rehabilitation Act of 1973) that are applicable to his specific needs as a deaf person.
- When presented with a before or after school activity, student will determine if he requires a sign language interpreter then will follow school procedures to request an interpreter.
- When in a cooperative learning setting, student will use his advocacy skills to ensure full participation in the group.
How I Facilitate Self Advocacy
Every year, before the first day of school, I meet with all the teachers
working with each of my students. I
provide them a mini training on teaching a child with a hearing loss. We talk about their particular student's
hearing loss, how it impacts his/her listening and communication, how the
student communicates (talking, signing or both), and provide tips for working
with a child with a hearing loss. I give
them a cheat sheet that includes the pertinent information about the student
and his/her IEP including a list of accommodations and supplementary aids and
services (SAS) the child receives.
With the students, I give them several surveys of their likes, dislikes,
strengths, needs, what they think helps them or hinders them in school,
etc. We then spend some time talking
about what they think helps them be successful in school; what have they
figured out they need to be successful.
I teach them about the various laws that pertain to deaf and hard of
hearing individuals that affords them rights to accommodations and
services. We create spreadsheets to
determine which SAS the student feel would be beneficial in each classroom,
according to the teaching style (lecture vs. collaborative work), arrangement
of desks, type of technology used, pace of class, etc. Through scaffolding from modeling to eventual
independence, the student learns how to approach a teacher to discuss
accommodations and SAS needs for each class.
The grand finally, when I know a student has fully mastered being a
self-advocate, is when he/she takes over my role and conducts the mini training
with all his/her teachers with minimal support from me.
In this era, students need skills to be successful in school beyond that
of academics. By having the ability to
self-advocate, their chances of being college and career ready truly soar. My job is done when a student tells me they
no longer need my help; they can advocate for themselves now.
Here are two resources I use when teaching self advocacy.
The Iowa Expanded Core Curriculum for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing lists
self determination and self-advocacy skills that are essential for DHH children
to learn.
Supporting Success for Children with Hearing
Loss includes several tools
to help teachers support their students' self advocacy development.
