Self – Advocacy and People with Brain Injuries

1. Self – Advocacyand People with Brain Injuries Daniel J. Keating, PhD Executive Director The Alliance for the Betterment if Citizens with Disabilities dan@abcdnj.org

2. Body function&structure(Impairment) Activities (Limitation) Participation (Restriction) Environmental Factors Personal Factors World Health Organization Interaction of Concepts ICF 2001 Health Condition (disorder/disease)

3. Important in rehabilitation and recovery • Can affect physical health • Can affect emotional health • Can impact quality of life • Empowers Self-Advocacy

4. “‘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?

5. “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?

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. “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?

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Break Down the problem • Educate yourself • Identify your rights • Develop a solution (goal) and strategy to address your problem Advocacy Training Manual: Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, 1986 Self-Advocacy Plan

14. 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

15. Create a Plan: • Statement of the problem • What would you like to achieve? • A statement of general purpose or intent Advocacy Plan

16. What would you like to achieve? • What are your goals? • What is the ideal solution • What are compromise solutions Advocacy Plan

17. Information available: • What Information do you have? • What information do you need? Advocacy Plan

18. Arguments: • What are the arguments that are pro your position? • What are the arguments that are con your position? Advocacy Plan

19. Step by Step Plan: • Who will do what • What will you do? • What will other do? • When will things be done by? • Establish dates and deadlines Advocacy Plan

20. What will you do next if you succeed? • What will you do if you do not succeed? Advocacy Plan

21. Questions ??? Conclusion