Self-Advocacy:
Steps You Can Take To Be a Successful Student
Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD) staff can—and sometimes do—
act as a go-between when students request accommodations from faculty.
However, it is not always practical, appropriate, or desirable for SSWD staff to
intermediate each time an accommodations-related issue arises. Students are
encouraged, therefore, to develop the skills necessary to effectively advocate
for themselves.
Advocates are persons who know what they want and will stand up for their
rights. In college, you are responsible for getting the help you need. Selfadvocacy is an important skill that disabled students need to learn in order to
protect their rights and ensure equal opportunities in their school, work, and
community. This skill requires individuals to understand their rights and their
needs and be able to communicate this information to others.
Making each of the following five steps a habit will help you to be a good selfadvocate and a successful student.
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Know Yourself and Your Disability
Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
Know Where to Go for Help
Take Action
Manage Your Time Wisely
Know Yourself and Your Disability
Before you can advocate for yourself, you need to identify your:
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Strengths - the skills you do well right now.
My strengths are:
___________________________________________________________
Areas to improve - the skills you need improve that will help you realize
success.
The areas I need to improve are:
___________________________________________________________
Interests - the career areas you may want to explore.
My interests are:
___________________________________________________________
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Preferences - the ways you like to learn.
The ways I learn best are:
____________________________________________
You also need to know how to talk about your disability in a way that other
people will understand. Do you know what your disability is?
My disability is:
____________________________________________________
Where is your official documentation or paperwork that explains what your
disability is?
_______________________________________________________
The college or school has my documentation so that I can get the
accommodations that will help me succeed:
YES
NO **
**If no, this should be one of your top immediate priorities.
Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
Colleges cannot close their doors to you because you have a disability. This
campus must provide services that will allow you an equal opportunity to succeed
in school.
University Responsibilities
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To prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities.
To reduce or eliminate physical, academic, and attitudinal barriers.
To provide reasonable accommodations.
To maintain the strictest of student confidentiality.
To develop a shared responsibility and community for individuals with
disabilities.
To assist the student in self-advocacy.
To assist the student in problem solving.
To guide the student to possible resources that might assist him or her,
whether it is on campus or networking in the community.
To be sensitive to the individual personalities of students, whether it is in
communicating their needs or an attempt to maintain dignity with a very
difficult issue.
When a medical emergency necessitates an extended absence, to serve
as liaison with faculty if the student is unable to do so.
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Student Rights
According to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), The Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and California State University (CSU) policies,
you have certain rights.
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To not be denied access due to a disability.
To receive reasonable accommodations that provides equal opportunity.
To have access to auxiliary aids and/or assistive technology.
To not be counseled toward “more restrictive career objectives”.
To receive assistance from Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD)
in removing any physical, academic, or attitudinal barriers.
To not be discriminated against due to a disability or receive any
retaliatory discrimination.
To identify themselves to SSWD if they wish to receive services from the
university.
To provide documentation of disability to SSWD if they wish to receive
services from the university.
Your participation in SSWD shall be entirely voluntary.
As a qualified student with a verified disability, you have the right to
receive reasonable academic accommodations based on your educational
limitations in order to have access to activities, programs, and services.
The university faculty and staff shall not automatically reject an
accommodation unless other effective, more feasible ones exist, or the
identified accommodations have been determined to lower academic
standards or otherwise fundamentally alter the nature of the program in
question.
You shall not be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits
of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in a
public entity. In essence, you shall not be discriminated against in any way
on the basis of disability. If you feel you have discriminated against, you
are to be informed of the campus discrimination complaint procedure.
Receiving SSWD support services/accommodations or SSWD instruction
shall not preclude you from participating in any other course, program, or
activity offered by the university.
All records maintained by SSWD personnel pertaining to your disabilities
shall be protected from disclosure and shall be subject to the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act requirements for handling of student
records. However, your consent to release of information is not required
as long as the disclosure is to other school officials (including instructors)
within the university whom California State University Sacramento has
determined to have legitimate educational interests. Portions of the
information you present to SSWD may be shared with the Chancellor’s
Office or other state or federal agencies; however, disclosure to these
parties is made in strict accordance with applicable statues regarding
confidentiality, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
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According to Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act, providing your social
security number is voluntary.
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My responsibilities are:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
My rights are:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Know Where to Go for Help
A very important part of being a successful student is the ability to know when
you need help or when you don’t need help. Writing down the names and
phone numbers of the people on campus who will help you, including staff at
SSWD, is a good idea.
The people I can go to for help are:
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Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
SSWD Reception Desk, 6000 J Street, Lassen Hall 1008, Sacramento,
California 95819; 916-278-6955 (Phone) or 916-278-7239 (TDD);
sswd@csus.edu
Take Action
Once you know who you are and what you need, you can work on reaching
your goals. You should also work on communicating your needs. Be clear with
requests and prepared with explanations. This means that you should practice
talking with your instructors. You might practice on a counselor or a trusted
friend. Practice explaining your disability and the accommodations or
modifications you will need to help you be successful.
Realize that you will not be the first student to ever talk with an instructor.
Talking to an instructor might seem scary now, but as you become more aware
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of who you are, you will gain more confidence. When you are ready, you
should schedule a meeting with your instructors.
These ideas can make the meeting with your instructors go smoothly:
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Talk with your instructor before the semester starts.
Choose an appropriate time to discuss your needs with your instructor.
Schedule a private meeting in his/her office. If possible, make an
appointment during office hours instead of trying to speak with the
instructor immediately before or after class.
Be prepared to discuss your disability. Instructors may appear reluctant to
provide accommodations if they don't understand why you require them,
so be able to explain how your disability affects your learning and
performance, as well as why the requested accommodations are needed.
On occasion, an instructor might offer a workable alternative to an
accommodation that has been approved by SSWD personnel; be
prepared to listen to and consider reasonable suggestions. You can
always ask SSWD personnel for advice if you're uncertain about the
effectiveness or fairness of the instructor's suggestion.
Be ready to refer the instructor to the SSWD office if he/she needs more
information than you have.
Be confident! You know yourself better than anyone.
Thank your instructor for meeting with you.
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Some students find it easier to write a letter or an email to their instructors
instead of talking to them directly. Other students choose to write a
statement to give to their instructor as an ice-breaker during their meeting.
Writing a letter or email allows you to edit and re-edit what you are trying
to say. However, it is always more preferable—and expedient—to meet
with your instructors in person.
If you feel you are not being treated fairly—despite your best efforts—see a staff
member in the Services to Students with Disabilities office for assistance.
Manage Your Time Wisely
One of the best ways to be a successful student is to use your time wisely.
Planning your time each day will help you to stay on track. Some people like to
carry a calendar with them to help organize their day. Other people make "to
do" lists and cross off tasks as they are completed.
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Estimate how long you need to accurately complete your different school tasks
and set that time aside each day. Give yourself extra time to work on
homework to make sure that you do a good job.
Do you know how long you need to study before you take tests? If you wait
until the last minute, you might not have enough time to get your mind ready
for your test.
Managing your time might be the most important factor in being a successful
student.
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