What is self-advocacy and why is it important?
What is self-advocacy?
Self-advocacy is about standing up for the things that are important to you and letting people know what that is. Self-advocacy means:
- Knowing what you need and want and being able to ask for it.
- Being able to communicate your thoughts and feelings.
- Understanding your rights and responsibilities, and being able to speak up for them.
- Being able to make or understand decisions about things that affect you.
- The aim of self-advocacy is for YOU to find out what YOU want/need, and then form and implement a plan to make it happen. Self-advocacy doesn’t mean doing things alone though; a big part of it is recognising when you need or want help and asking for it.
Why is self-advocacy important?
Self-advocacy skills are vital because they help you figure out what you want and need, what you can reasonably expect, and how to make it happen. These skills give you more control of your life and help you make the best decisions for you. Self-advocacy skills can empower you, help you to stick up for yourself, and help you make important or difficult decisions.
Being able to assert your needs and share your concerns about your health and the care you receive is particularly important when it comes to managing a complex medical condition. There may be a lot of experts involved in your care, but you are the one with the overview and the personal insight. You usually have most details about your medical and personal history, needs, experiences, difficulties, and preferences.
The motivation to self-advocate comes from hope, believing that things can improve and striving to ensure they do. This can be difficult, especially if you struggle with thinking about the future or if past experiences have made it difficult for you to trust that things can be better. At Shine, we can help you explore how things could be improved for you and can create strategies to make this happen. Contact us by phone, email, or our online form, and someone from our services team will get back to you to discuss your situation and needs.
Where and when are self-advocacy skills needed?
Self-advocacy is useful almost everywhere and almost all the time. It is essential whenever or wherever decisions are made about you or things will happen that affect you.
If you want something to be happen or be done differently, it’s up to you to make that known. Nobody else knows exactly how you feel or what you think. Being able to tell people that you want or need something to change is a key life skill. Asserting yourself can be tricky at first if you’re not used to it, but it becomes easier and more natural with practice.
Self-advocacy summary
- Speak up for yourself and know you have the right and expertise to do so.
- Get informed and keep building your knowledge – know who to ask for information, where to find resources etc.
- Make sure you understand all your rights and responsibilities.
- Find supportive people to help you – that could be friends, family, professionals, including people from Shine.
- Problem solving – anticipating and preventing problems is also often easier than trying to fix things afterwards.
- Ask for the help and support you need, and keep asking till you get it. Even if you don’t know what help is available, you can reach out once you notice a need or problem.
- Take control of your life – be proactive, informed, and assertive.