CIL-NET Presents… A National Teleconference & Webinar

1. CIL-NET Presents…A National Teleconference & Webinar Get to the Core of It: Individual Advocacy May 9, 2012 Presenter: Marsha Sweet CIL-NET, a project of ILRU – Independent Living Research Utilization 0

2. CIL-NET Presents…A National Teleconference & Webinar Get to the Core of It: Individual Advocacy May 9, 2012 Presenter: Marsha Sweet CIL-NET, a project of ILRU – Independent Living Research Utilization

3. Individual Advocacy: Four Main Objectives 1. Explain the philosophy and role of individual advocacy as a core service that changes people’s lives through empowerment and choice 2. Explain skills and strategies for building relationships with consumers that nurture trust and accountability 3. Describe elements of an effective Advocacy model 4. Describe effective methods for assisting consumers in dealing with the many bureaucracies they face

4. Individual Advocacy This workshop will be helpful for consumers, self advocates, and advocates. The slides directed to consumers are an example of how you might orient them to their role as self advocates. 3

5. Independent Living CentersPhilosophy • Philosophy of Independent Living Centers • Independent Living • Controlling and directing your own life. • Taking risks being allowed to succeed and fail • Participating in community Life • Peer consumer directed • Four Core Services: Information and Referral Peer Counseling Independent Living Skills Individual and Systems Advocacy

6. ILC Philosophy, cont’d. • Available supports in the community allow individuals to attain their personal goals /visions • These available supports must be accessible to people with disabilities • Each person can take responsibility for the outcome of their choices

7. ILC Philosophy, cont’d 2 • Having choices to build relationships • Rooted in the philosophy that people with disabilities have the right to make their own choices • Have their own dreams • Take their own risks 6

8. ILC Philosophy, cont’d. 3 • Independent Living is knowing what choices are available • Selecting what is right for you • Taking responsibility for your own actions

9. Building Relationships • Every person has the right to make choices affecting their own life • Every person has the right to pursue their choices • Every person can communicate in some mode, their choices and preferences • Every person can create their own goals and chose how to reach those goals

10. Building Relationships, cont’d. The following are involved in building a relationship to achieve independence: • Targeting • Influencing • Evaluating

11. Why you target, When you target,What you target…? • Are you satisfied with: • Your current situation and progress? • Do you know what you need to change it? • What is needed now and what may be needed in the future? • Do you need outside help?

12. Targeting Results • Targeting has pointed out what changes are important to you. • Your next step is – you help yourself.

13. Influencing for Effective Advocacy • Influencing means getting others to pay attention to your needs. • Do you or have you ever influenced others?

14. Your first attempt to influence others to get your needs met • We are all natural influences

15. Influencing • Be aware of what papers, documentations (photo ID, birth certificates, social security cards) or forms are required and take them with you to your interviews or appointments • Maintain records of all your appointments, phone calls, and letters. Make sure you keep a copy of all your memos, notes and letters with dates on them. You could put all your papers and notes in a notebook or folder. 14

16. Influencing is an open fluid conversation • Develop good communication skills by thinking out clearly what your expectations are. • Be clear and specific about what you want or are requesting. • Know what the possible consequences may be. • Do not be unreasonable. You need to give as well as take. • See the other side of the situation and keep your sense of humor.

17. Influencing, cont’d. • Contact people in agencies for help and information. • Keep a notebook of whom you called, what you talked about or wrote to them about and when you talked or wrote to them.

18. Influencing, cont’d. 2 • Build and maintain good relationships with others who work directly with you. • Be positive, even when you have a complaint, present it in a polite, constructive, assertive manner. • Get to know people who work in agencies; such as secretaries, service providers, and administrative assistants and administrators.

19. Mediator • Person who works between two people or parties to reach an agreement • When your try at influencing is not successful you may need the assistance of a mediator- that could be an experienced community ally or a experienced supervisor/advocate to act as a mediator between yourself and established agencies.

20. Evaluating • Evaluating means thinking about your situation after targeting and influencing, and deciding if more needs to be done.

21. Evaluating, cont’d. • Are you and others satisfied with the services received? • Were others supportive and cooperative? • Was the quality of the services adequate for your needs?

22. Return to Targeting • This is an advocacy cycle; there is no end to the process. • (However it does get easier the more you do it!)

23. Being a good consumer** • **Being a good consumer does not mean that you always have to do what other people want you to do. • It means negotiating and sometimes compromising to get what you want or need.

24. Questions & Answers Got questions? 23

25. Effective Advocacy • Advocacy is a planned action to support an issue, interest, cause or idea • Advocacy occurs on behalf of the powerless • Advocacy is about justice and equality for the dispossessed • Personal rights • Advocates must be aware of the constitutional rights of people with disabilities • Must use these powerful constitutional rights and assert them

26. Advocacy Role: Action Steps • Listen to the consumer • Hear what is being said and not said • Be willing to listen more than once • Don’t be surprised if different information is given each time you listen • Never make promises

27. Advocacy • Identify the issues to be addressed - Targeting • Identify where you will address the issues – what agency or level at the agency- Influencing • Implement the plan- Influencing • Observe results- Evaluation • Assess- Evaluation and Targeting • Evaluation and Targeting- Modify, If necessary, revise and go through all the previous steps until goal is achieved.

28. Actions of advocacy • Provide services directly to assist the consumer • Advocates do not do crisis work

29. Advocate’s Role • Teach self advocacy skills – to the individual or to a group learning self advocacy • Provide information and support the consumer towards empowerment • Listen to the concerns and issues • Gather all the facts from all parties involved – non-judgmental

30. Advocate’s Role, cont’d. • Assist with sorting through the options • Provide referrals and linkages to other options and expertise • Follow the consumers lead as to how much assistance is needed • Provide an objective insight to the situation

31. Advocate’s Role, cont’d. 2 • Provide mediations resources and may negotiate on consumer’s behalf if requested • Assist with accountability of the consumer and others involved • Create a partnership so the consumer never feels alone in the process

32. Breaking through the barriers of bureaucracies • Don’t take no as the answer • Document everything • Policy vs. Procedures

33. Quotes “We must become the change we wish to create.” • Gandhi

34. Best practices • Remember all individuals have the right to live in the community of their choice • Take the time and initiative to develop information about community based services for your consumers, staff, and provider agencies • Talk and meet with community agencies in order to create the best network and support system for your consumers

35. Best practices, cont’d. • Educate the consumer, family and friends parents and guardians about all the options and supports • Use your own internal experts and share your expertise with them • Educate consumers and family about your roles and responsibilities • Be sure consumers know their right to fair hearings and appeals

36. Leave Them Wanting More They may not remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel.

37. Be a Respected Adversary Respect is earned and acknowledged for a job done well, timely and professionally.

38. Questions & Answers Got questions?

39. Contact Marsha A. Sweet, Assistant Director of Independent Living Services Center for Disability Rights, Inc. 497 State Street Rochester, New York 14608 585-546-7510 585-546-7579 Fax msweet@cdrnys.org

40. Wrap Up and Evaluation Click the link below now to complete an evaluation of today’s program found at: https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/12291g4f582

41. CIL-NET Support for development of this Webinar/teleconference was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration under grant number H132B070002. No official endorsement of the Department of Education should be inferred. Permission is granted for duplication of any portion of this PowerPoint presentation, providing that the following credit is given to the project: Developed as part of the CIL-NET, a program of the IL NET, an ILRU/NCIL/APRIL National Training and Technical Assistance Project.