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Self Advocacy

At the postsecondary level, students with disabilities must self-identify and advocate for themselves. There is no longer a Child Study Team to do this for them. This often requires a significant adjustment on the part of new college students. Horizons staff will work with students to help them become comfortable with this new role. Here are several steps that facilitate effective self-advocacy:

Step 1: Accept your disability:
  Before you can advocate for yourself, you have to acknowledge to yourself that you really do have a learning disability. You aren't dumb. You aren't lazy. You have probably worked very hard to hide your learning problems (even from yourself). Now is the time to take a realistic look at the impact your learning disability is likely to have on meeting the challenge of college work.
Step 2: Understand your strengths and weaknesses:
  If you don't have a clear understanding of how you learn best and where difficulties arise, now is the time to get this clarified. A member of the Horizons professional staff will be happy to discuss this with you if you would like. You need this information to figure out the best way to approach your coursework and to discuss accommodations you may need.
Step 3: Be willing to discuss your disability with others when necessary.
  You cannot be a successful self-advocate if you insist on hiding your disability at all costs. If you need to use your accommodations to do your best in your classes, you have to discuss your needs with your professors. You may also find it helpful to be able to casually explain to your friends. (Then they will understand why you are not taking your test with the rest of the class if you take it in CASE.) You will find that your fellow college students will not "judge" you in a negative way (as you might have experienced when you were younger).
Step 4: Know yourself. Consider how to compensate for any tendencies you have that might interfere with being an effective self-advocate (e.g., very shy, impulsive).
  Are you too shy to clearly describe your needs? Do you get angry and aggressive when embarrassed or frustrated? Are you impulsive and tend to say things you later regret? Practice with a friend or family member until you are comfortable describing your needs in a way that will be clear but non-threatening to your professors.
Step 5: Know what you need and be prepared (ahead of time) to explain it (not demand it) clearly.
  Your professor is your partner in the learning process but s/he doesn't know how your learning disability affects you until you explain it to him/her. You want to work together with each professor to figure out the best way to meet your needs for a "level playing field." You do not want an advantage over the other students--just an equal opportunity to learn and demonstrate your knowledge. Speak with your professors early in the semester to avoid unexpected difficulties. If you need help with this process in a particular case, speak with the Horizons staff. Click here for a list of tips to make that meeting with your professor easier!
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