5456 SELF ADVOCACY
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5456RESPONSE.docx2
RESPONSE1
Collapse Subdiscussion Rebecca Goldman
MondayJul 18 at 2:38pm
The goal of education is to prepare students for transitioning into postsecondary settings. Students with disabilities are not always as resourceful as their nondisabled peers causing them to face more challenges. In efforts to address the gap, researchers have supported the idea of self-determination, a combination of skills, beliefs, and knowledge that enables a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated behavior in schools. By incorporating self-determination skills into the curriculum and transition process, it empowers students to take more control of the decisions that impact their lives. Self-advocacy, being able to advocate on one’s own behalf, is an important component of self-determination and should be taught in schools. Self-advocacy skills are supported through explicit instruction to increase the ability of students to request accommodations and effective communication skills (Lopez, Uphold, Douglas, and Freeman-Green, 2020).
Students with disabilities need to be taught how to present themselves responsibly and to be aware of their rights, politely advocate for their needs, plan goals, have self-awareness, and be mindful of their abilities (Teaching self-awareness PowerPoint). Polloway and Patton talked about a commercially produced social skills curriculum called ChoiceMakers. This curriculum helps students with leading their IEP meetings by choosing goals, expressing goals, and taking action. The skills taught in this curriculum help with transitions and attainment during the high school years (Polloway and Patton, 2022).
The school district I work with has a “Transition to Adulthood” document that lists various steps for postsecondary life. The document starts with “Where do we begin,” suggesting first contacting Hudspeth regional support center. It goes on to talk about social security income, Medicaid, and selective service. The document then listed several resources for support and gave a brief description. One suggestion was Hudspeth Center which is a licensed intermediate care program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Another was Son Valley, a Christian community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to minister to their physical, spiritual, mental, vocational, and recreational needs. Postsecondary adults can find employment assistance at the WIN job center in Pearl or MDRS also in Pearl. The document also listed general disability services such as the MS Partners for Informed Choices in Jackson. One of my favorite postsecondary opportunities is Hudspeth. I remember as a child doing the Horses for Handicapped through Hudspeth. My neighbor was an employee and would bring the residents out to ride, and I loved seeing the smiles on their faces.
Lopez, N. J., Uphold, N. M., Douglas, K. H., & Freeman-Green, S. (2020). Teaching High School Students with Disabilities to Advocate for Academic Accommodations. Journal of Special Education, 54(3), 146–156.
Polloway, E. A., & Patton, J. R. (2022). Strategies for teaching learners with special needs (11th ed.). Pearson.
Transition process to Adulthood. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1653484740/rcsdms/dhfkp0xryl6phr2qar9y/2713_001.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2022. (Links to an external site.)
RESPONSE2
MondayJul 18 at 8:19pm
At the elementary level I have never given much thought to teaching my students to advocate for themselves. I always found for the special education teacher; this was my responsibility. And working with most lower income families, the family also often relies on me to advocate for their child. It was mentioned that providing students with opportunities for them to make choices, needs to begin at the elementary level (Module 4 Lecture Video). This for me stopped me in my tracks, I feel like after hearing this statement, I can help make my students more independent. There are multiple ways that I could aid my students in learning to self-advocate even at a younger age level. According to Didion, Toste, Benz & Shogren students at this age can start as simple as self-regulating while reading aloud; not waiting for teacher prompts and cues (2021, p. 292). But having conversations with the student following, praising for them for use of the strategy. While this is a very narrow activity that can be done, another way to help students learn self-advocacy at a young age, is knowing their own testing accommodations. This is something that I need to explain to my students. Knowing that if they have the read aloud accommodation should be present, and not to take the assessment until this is present. But aiding them to communicate that in a respectful way can be difficult at a young age. Students should be able to know their rights, knowing their rights well enough to advocate for themselves (Module 4 Lecture Video). But doing so in a respectful and non-aggressive way (Module 4 Lecture Video). No matter the age, students need to learn to communicate with those around them and this is going to take some modeling. According to Robert and Parker, it is also beneficial for students to know their own strengths and weaknesses (2020, p. 119).
Two active organizations that our county uses that I know of. The reason I know of them is because our district believes it is imperative that we know about these programs even at the elementary level. The first is vocational rehabilitation, they provide accommodations, supports, and counseling services to those students getting ready to enter into the work force or higher-level education with a disability. The second is referred to a project search, this is for more profound students that will need assistance in the working force.
Side Note: I checked out the self-determination scales, this is something that I will be attempting with a handful of my students next year. I think it will help me better serve them.
References:
Didion, L., Toste, J. R., Benz, S. A., & Shogren, K. A. (2021). How Are Self-Determination Components Taught to Improve Reading Outcomes for Elementary Students with or at Risk for Learning Disabilities? Learning Disability Quarterly, 44(4), 288–303.
Module 4 Lecture Video
Robert, A. J., & Parker, F. R., III. (2020). Effect of a Self-Advocacy Intervention on the GPA of Students with Disabilities. Journal of Research in Education, 29(2), 118–137.
