Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
Self-Advocacy
What is self-advocacy?
Individuals with self-advocacy are able to represent their wants, needs, and views through effective means such as communication, action, and setting appropriate boundaries. Strong self-advocacy skills improve academic achievement, social relationships, and independence within the community. Strong self-advocacy skills ultimately lead to improved quality of life and sense of self.
- Self Advocacy: A State Of Mind, Abby Edwards, TEDxYouth@Dayton
Hear how Abby Edwards, with her service and companion dog Kathy, use self-advocacy on a daily basis
Do I have self-advocacy?
Determining your strengths and weaknesses can help you better understand your level of self-advocacy. Below are links to help you determine your self-advocacy skills.
- Complete the self-advocacy checklist.
Choose the level of help you need on a scale from 1 (never need help) to 5 (always need help). This simple and quick checklist tells you which areas you can focus on improving and which areas you already excel in!
Understanding My Disability
Understanding your disability is an important building block to develop your communication skills and support your self-advocacy efforts in academic and community settings. Even if your disability is not listed below, self-advocacy skills can be beneficial for anyone.
Click the links below for information on the following topics:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Anxiety Disorders
Depression
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Communication Skills
Tips for successful communication with professors! Below are resources that will help you understand how to effectively communicate your academic needs to faculty and staff.