One of the most important skills you can leave high school with is self-advocacy.

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Self-Advocacy is the ability to both understand and effectively communicate your needs.  Speaking up for yourself is an important life skill that you will need for the rest of your life. To be an effective self-advocate, you need to be able to teach those around you about yourself and your needs in a way that creates a pathway of success. In the context of post-secondary education, it means because able to talk with professors about your disability and the supports you need to be successful in their class. 

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You are responsible for seeking out supports in college from disability services, providing the necessary documentation about your disability, and requesting the necessary accommodations in your classes. You are your own case manager once you leave high school. You are strongly encouraged to practice this skill while you are still in high school so that you are 100% comfortable speaking up for yourself once you move on to college.

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Here are some basic tips when it comes to self-advocacy:

• knowledge it power, the more you know, the easier it is to explain to someone else

• be aware of your disability (or disabilities if you have more than one) and their impact on your learning and daily functioning

• keep your documentation up to date to ensure you get the supports you need in college, and possibly in future employment

• there are three aspects of being an effective self-advocate:

  • knowing yourself (your disability, strengths, preferences, interests)

  • knowing your needs (what helps you learn best, what accommodations do you need)

  • knowing how to get what you need (who to talk to, what to ask for, knowing your rights)

• "Self-education, effective communication, and maintaining a support system are your keys to becoming an effective self-advocate" (James, 2014).​