Self-advocacy is the crucial trait of expressing your opinion and taking decisions for oneself. However, a lot of times this crucial trait might be compromised due to some learning disabilities like dyslexia; however, certain strategies like games and activities can assist in ameliorating the same, and quantifying the level of growth is also obligatory to track progress.
However, often times we might wonder if we make good self-advocates, and stand up for ourselves! Keeping this in mind, a curated set of checklists can assist you in evaluating multiple aspects of self-advocacy.
In this post, we will share a checklist that ensures to cover all proportions making it suitable for an individual.
Why is self advocacy checklist important
Self-advocacy is defined as the capacity to speak out for yourself and the things that matter to you. It is being able to ask for what you need and desire, as well as communicating your thoughts and feelings to others. Self-advocacy implies that you are aware of your rights and obligations, that you stand out for them, and that you are capable of making decisions that influence your life.
For kids and people who learn and think differently, being a competent self-advocate would be beneficial. Hence, the checklist is important for the following reasons:
- Independence: Once people get to know more about self-advocacy, and whether or not they are good self-advocates, they can work on their skills and make themselves better leaders and more independent individuals. Moreover, maintaining a checklist will make the students more independent as they will get an organized structure of where they stand and what kind of improvement they need.
- Confidence: Checking on a checklist helps in building confidence by constantly working on self. This not only helps individuals with the crucial self-advocacy trait but also makes them more confident in all areas of life.
- Helps clear goals: Self-advocacy checklist can also assist you in achieving your objectives. Making a checklist will help you analyze things and make it easier for you to set priorities and goals.
Self advocacy checklist
The following checklist will assist you in getting a better understanding of whether or not you classify as an individual who speaks up for yourself!
- Do you think that you are a confident person and are able to make eye contact while conversing?
- Are you able to briefly but confidently explain your disability and the level?
- Can you state your strengths and the best qualities you feel about yourself?
- Do you think your weaknesses often obstruct you from getting what you desire?
- Do you freely ask for help?
- Are you hesitant to talk to other people?
- Are you open to your teachers and friends about your likes and dislikes?
- Are you comfortable making your own decisions?
- Are you successfully able to identify what kind of help you need?
- Do you indulge in making plans with your friends and family?
- Can you confidently state your goals and aspirations in front of people?
- Can you independently request and effectively use academic accommodations in all your classes?
- Can you effectively communicate your needs?
- Do you offer to assist others when they need help?
- Do you speak up for yourself in awkward or difficult situations?
Put a checkmark in the box and write down the date when you are certain that you can do this without assistance. Later, evaluate and work on the skills that you feel lag you from becoming a confident self-advocate.
Closure lines…
Self-advocacy skills may make a huge difference in both your career and personal life. It is a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort for some. You may select what you need to focus on to prepare for your career and get a job after you know your strengths and shortcomings. As you go through the checklist, keep in mind that there are no right or incorrect answers, it is only what is true for you. This list can be referred to multiple times to see changes in attitude.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,