Self – Advocacy
and People with Brain
Injuries
Daniel J. Keating, PhD
Executive Director
The Alliance for the Betterment if Citizens with Disabilities
dan@abcdnj.org
World Health Organization Interaction of Concepts
ICF 2001
Health Condition
(disorder/disease)
Body function&structure
(Impairment)
Environmental
Factors
Activities
(Limitation)
Participation
(Restriction)
Personal
Factors
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Important in rehabilitation and recovery
Can affect physical health
Can affect emotional health
Can impact quality of life
Empowers
Self-Advocacy
“‘Advocacy” can mean many things, but in
general, it refers to taking action.
Advocacy simply involves speaking and
acting on behalf of your self or others.”
Advocacy Tool Kit: Skills and Strategies for Effective Self and Peer Advocacy;
Disability Rights Wisconsin, 2008, www.disabilityrightswi.org
What is Self-Advocacy?
“Advocacy is a type of problem solving
designed to protect personal, and legal
rights, and to insure a diversified
existence.”
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center;
www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
What is Self-Advocacy?
There are several types of action that a person can take:
◦ System advocacy: taking actions to influence social, political,
and economic systems to bring about change for groups of people
◦ Legal advocacy: what lawyers do to establish or protect legal
rights
◦ Legislative advocacy: change laws, promote new laws
◦ Peer advocacy: taking actions to represent the rights and
interests of someone other than yourself
◦ Self-advocacy: taking action to represent and advance your own
interests
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center;
www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
What is Self-Advocacy?
Individual self-advocacy: speaking or acting
for oneself and deciding what is best for the
individual and taking charge of one’s life by
standing up for oneself.
Group self-advocacy: individuals join
together to advocate for a common cause;
Groups can become social outlets for people
with disabilities
Brandt, J. Creating a New Self-Advocacy Organization – Imagine the Possibilities,
Partnership for People with Disabilities, Virginia Commonwealth University.
What is Self-Advocacy?
“People with…disabilities must be able to act as
self-advocates, that is: to exercise their rights
of basic personhood and citizenship by
speaking and standing up for themselves. This
means that people must have a voice in
decision-making in all areas of their daily life
and in public policy decisions affecting them.”
Self-Advocacy, The Arc of the United States, px?piwww.thearc.org/page.asd=2358
What is Self-Advocacy?
Self advocacy skills can help you avoid or
solve problems with family and loved ones,
doctors and lawyers, employers, associates,
and friends
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center; www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
Advocacy Skills
Self-advocacy skills can help you obtain
reasonable and necessary accommodations
in both public and private settings; i.e.,
education, housing, employment,
transportation, and taxation.
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center; www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
Advocacy Skills
Self-advocacy skills can help you identify,
analyze, and make informed decisions
concerning choices one must make. The
regular exercise of self-advocacy skills can
empower one to gain greater control over
one’s life.
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center; www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
Advocacy Skills
Effective advocacy of any kind requires
building a solid strategy or plan and
practicing skills to help you feel comfortable
and confident in reaching your advocacy
goals.
Advocacy Training Manual: Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, 1986
Self-Advocacy Plan
Break Down the problem
 Educate yourself
 Identify your rights
 Develop a solution (goal) and strategy to
address your problem
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Advocacy Training Manual: Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, 1986
Self-Advocacy Plan
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Educate oneself about your condition
Keep good records
Problem solve
Keep a positive attitude
Be Persistent
Thank those who help you
Advocacy Skills; Brain Injury Resource Center; www.headinjury.com/advocacy.htm
Self-Advocacy Skills
Create a Plan:
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Statement of the problem
◦ What would you like to achieve?
◦ A statement of general purpose or intent
Advocacy Plan
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What would you like to achieve?
◦ What are your goals?
◦ What is the ideal solution
◦ What are compromise solutions
Advocacy Plan
Information available:
 What Information do you have?
 What information do you need?
Advocacy Plan
Arguments:
 What are the arguments that are pro your
position?
 What are the arguments that are con your
position?
Advocacy Plan
Step by Step Plan:
 Who will do what
◦ What will you do?
◦ What will other do?
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When will things be done by?
◦ Establish dates and deadlines
Advocacy Plan
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What will you do next if you succeed?
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What will you do if you do not succeed?
Advocacy Plan
Questions
???
Conclusion