Self-advocacy Strategies Research Articles

Comity or Confrontation: Budgeting Independence of the American Judiciary

While many American court systems have constitutional funding protections judicial salaries, the judiciary in the position of bargaining for funding for staff, services, technology, facilities, supplies, and other goods to adequately fund the constitutional mission of adjudication. Courts have looked to two principal strategies in securing funding. First, courts have tried to improve the relationship with the other branches through long-term connections and demonstrations of sound judicial governance. Courts have sought to improve their strategic planning, incorporating novel uses of data including performance measures, with the collateral hope of enhancing budget justifications. Courts have also tested political strategies for self-advocacy, including elevating judicial officers as spokespersons for the judicial branch, mobilizing stakeholders, and lobbying key officials. Second, courts have invoked the inherent powers of the judiciary as a separate and co-equal branch to compel funding that is reasonably necessary to administration of justice. Judicial leaders have typically disfavored this technique, which presents its own risks of trespassing on legislative power and impairing longer-term strategies for building bridges and understanding between the branches, except in patterns of legislative neglect or hostility towards judicial independence.

A Comparison of Autistic and Non-Autistic College Students' Perceived Challenges and Engagement in Self-Advocacy.

Autistic students experience lower college graduation rates than their peers, affecting future opportunities. Self-advocacy is crucial for successful adaptation in postsecondary settings and is documented as a challenge for autistic students. The purpose of the study was to examine autistic college students' engagement in self-advocacy and specific college-related challenges as compared to their neurodivergent and neurotypical peers. This study used a cross-sectional survey design to compare perceptions related to self-advocacy and college-related challenges across three groups of students: autistic students, students with a disability other than autism, and nondisabled students. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare survey responses across groups. Differences in the groups' perceptions of their engagement in overall self-advocacy and specific self-advocacy strategies were evident. Autistic students rated themselves significantly lower on self-advocacy than did students with other disabilities. When compared to their nondisabled peers, the autistic students and those with other disabilities were less likely to report comfort interacting in the classroom, including less interest in group work, and more difficulty interacting with unfamiliar peers. In addition, the autistic students were more likely to report difficulty recognizing the need for academic assistance when compared to both peer groups. Autistic students also reported greater social challenges in the college setting than their nondisabled peers, and both neurodivergent groups of students reported significantly more challenges, overall, navigating the college setting than did their nondisabled peers. Findings highlight the need for systematic, individualized self-advocacy supports for autistic and other neurodivergent college students. In addition, findings show the need to educate peers and professors about autism and self-advocacy to foster a welcoming college environment. Finally, findings suggest the need for increased social support and opportunities for social integration within postsecondary settings. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in implementing these next steps.

Being a deaf student in a face mask world: Survey data from Italian university students

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities made face masks mandatory during face-to-face classes and/or switched to virtual classes. Such situations pose a challenge for students with hearing loss as they generate listening conditions that make speech comprehension difficult. This study aimed to explore the listening difficulties perceived by Italian university students with hearing loss (HL) and typical hearing (TH) as well as their adoption of self-advocacy strategies . We measured listening difficulties as a function of teaching modality (face-to-face and virtual classes) and the type of face mask (opaque and transparent) worn by the lecturer. In face-to-face classes, the most challenging situations for HL students involved speech comprehension when groups of students were working simultaneously and lecturers talked and moved at the same time during their lessons. The use of transparent masks, compared to opaque one, by the lecturer did not reduce the perceived listening difficulties . In virtual classes, the greatest listening difficulties for HL students occurred when the lecturer’s face was not visible or she/he did not use a microphone, while subtitles and sign language interpreters were speech comprehension facilitators. The TH group perceived the same situations as most challenging both in face-to-face and virtual classes, albeit to a lesser extent than the HL respondents. Despite most students demonstrated proactive self-advocacy strategies to improve speech comprehension, in some listening contexts inactive behaviors still persisted. To reduce the listening difficulties posed by pandemic measures, training to improve students’ self-advocacy strategies and educators’ hearing loss awareness behaviors, as well as the development of interventions aimed at reducing noise in classes, are essential to improve speech perception among HL students.

How self-advocacy strategies help students with ‘invisible disabilities’ flourish beyond high school

ABSTRACT This exploratory pilot of innovative support for college-age students with invisible disabilities investigated the effects of a seven-week self-advocacy intervention. A multiple methods approach was utilized to investigate the effect of a self-advocacy instructional intervention on six college-aged students with LD and/or ADHD abilities to advocate with their college professors and understand their disability. The data were collected via semi-structured pre/post interviews, pretest/posttest questionnaires on self-advocacy components, and pretest/posttest role-play sessions requesting accommodations from a professor. Findings revealed that the early disability experiences in K-12 shaped the participants’ capacities to learn and demonstrate self-advocacy skills. Four main themes emerged from the stories and lived experiences of six college students with LD and/or ADHD: (a) interactions between family support and educational experiences; (b) self-advocacy knowledge; (c) self-advocacy experiences; and (d) perceived benefits of the intervention. Students found the intervention helpful in supporting future self-advocacy behavior. The findings from this study can be used as a starting point for future investigations and to support findings from other studies. Future research could include extending this study, however, conducting it with first-year students or students newly identified, beginning the first week of classes fall semester.

“We don’t make trouble”: Vietnamese parents’ experiences of parent-teacher partnerships for their autistic children

BackgroundEffective family-school partnerships can improve outcomes for autistic students. Yet, we know little about what effective partnerships look like for parents of autistic children from different cultural backgrounds, especially in an Australian context. Here, we provide insight into the first-hand experiences of Vietnamese parents living in Australia as they navigated education for their autistic children. MethodsUsing participatory methods, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Vietnamese parents of autistic children (3 – 18 years) attending Australian kindergarten/schools to understand their experiences of parent-teacher interactions. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three key themes and associated subthemes. ResultsParent priorities were caregiving and their children’s education. They were clearly respectful of, and deferential towards, teachers and were also concerned about the potential repercussions of advocating for their children. Parents expressed gratitude for what Australia afforded them, often feeling undeserving of additional supports. Not being proficient in English was challenging, especially during periods of pandemic-related remote learning. Stigma and discrimination were commonly experienced, especially towards mothers. Despite challenges, parents fought for what they felt was best for their children, but this advocacy took its toll with stress, exhaustion and isolation frequently described. Culturally-specific services were a key source of assistance. ConclusionThis work has implications for how teachers and schools can foster successful relationships with Vietnamese parents of autistic children. Recommendations for schools include supporting families’ language preferences, explicitly scaffolding parent advocacy training as well as student self-advocacy strategies and ensuring that the wellbeing of both children and parents is prioritised by schools.

Hearing Their Voices: Self Advocacy Strategies for People with Intellectual Disabilities in South Africa

This study investigated strategies for people with intellectual disabilities to self-advocate for inclusion of their priorities in social policy processes in South Africa. Method: Self advocacy strategies were identified through a scoping literature review, a review of self advocacy toolkits and semi structured interviews with people with intellectual disabilities and other stakeholders working at non-governmental and disabled people’s organisations. These data sources were triangulated to identify strategies to upskill and support young adults with intellectual disabilities to share their opinions and perspectives to deepen the diversity of voices engaged in social policy advocacy. Results: Data triangulation identified three core strategies for self advocacy, in person, written strategies and engagement through social media. Discussion: Inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in civic and political life is crucial, and will only be achieved if self advocates are accepted into the policy-making arena. The cycle of perpetuating exclusion needs to be disrupted, to give people with an intellectual disabilities a say in policy decisions that have an impact on their lives. Conclusion: Adopting strategies which enable the inclusion of the voices of people with intellectual disabilities in civic activities holds potential for diversifying perspectives brought to public participation in policy development and implementation, which is currently primarily the domain of non-disabled citizens.

Using the Self-Advocacy Strategy to Support Middle School Students With EBD

Self-advocacy skills enable active student involvement in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning process. However, some students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) lack appropriate self-advocacy skills and may require specific instruction in how to prepare for and participate in their own IEP. Special educators may have limited knowledge and skills to foster the self-advocacy skills of students with EBD. Therefore, this article focuses on a research-based strategy, the Self-Advocacy Strategy (SAS), that can be used by educators to effectively promote students’ self-advocacy skills. Research support and a detailed overview and guidelines on how educators can implement the SAS in their classrooms are included.

Is There a Gender Self-Advocacy Gap? An Empiric Investigation Into the Gender Pain Gap.

There are documented differences in the efficacy of medical treatment for pain for men and women. Women are less likely to have their pain controlled and receive less treatment than men. We are investigating one possible explanation for this gender pain gap: that there is a difference in how women and men report their pain to physicians, and so there is a difference in how physicians understand their pain. This paper describes an exploratory study into gendered attitudes towards reporting uncontrolled pain to a physician. This exploratory study provided subjects with a vignette describing a situation in which their pain is not being treated adequately and asked them questions about their attitudes towards self-advocacy and the strategies they would likely use to express themselves. We found that women scored higher than men on measures of patient likelihood to self-advocate. Women also reported intending to use more varied self-advocacy strategies than men. This suggests it is unlikely that patient's communication styles are to blame for the gender pain gap.

The influence of workplace discrimination and vigilance on job satisfaction with people who stutter

Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine the association between workplace discrimination, vigilance, and job satisfaction in people who stutter and compare this with people who do not stutter. Method Seventy-two people who stutter (PWS) and 92 people who do not stutter (PWNS) participated in an online survey. Participants completed a survey assessing 6 different areas: (a) background information, (b) job satisfaction, (c) everyday discrimination, and (d) heightened vigilance. Mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable. Results There was a relationship between being a PWS and job satisfaction, discrimination, and vigilance. PWS were found to experience higher discrimination as well as be more vigilant. Discrimination and vigilance were found to mediate the relationship between stuttering and job satisfaction. Conclusion Results of this study indicate that the participants who stutter differ from PWNS in their job satisfaction, discrimination, and vigilance. Clinicians can prepare PWS with self-advocacy strategies, legal knowledge of what their rights are as an employee who identifies as a person who stutters with a disability, a legal understanding of workplace discrimination, and counseling on the impact of vigilance on workplace experiences.

Effective Self-Determination Practices for Students with Disabilities: Implications for Students with Visual Impairments

Introduction: Given the lack of self-determination research and curricula focusing on children and youths with visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision), the purpose of this article was to review the literature on effective self-determination practices for students with other disabilities for applicability to students with visual impairments. Method: A narrative review was conducted that focused on six self-determination practices for students with disabilities. Studies of the effectiveness of these practices that were published in the year 2000 or later were included in the review. Results: A total of 14 articles were identified that focused on the following interventions: Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction, Whose Future Is It Anyway?, Check and Connect, Self-Advocacy Strategy, Self-Directed Individualized Education Program, and Computer-Assisted Instruction. The levels of evidence supporting each intervention varied from potential to moderate, with none falling into the strong category. Discussion: Although several studies included at least one student with visual impairment, their results were not disaggregated by disability category. As a result, the existing literature does not allow for any specific conclusions to be made about the effects of these interventions on students with visual impairments. Additional research that evaluates self-determination interventions among this population is warranted. Implications for practitioners: By providing descriptions of six self-determination interventions and research evidence (including contextual information) supporting each one, this study serves as a starting point for practitioners to identify curricula that may be used to promote self-determination among their students. For students with visual impairments to fully benefit from these interventions, preteaching and accommodations by teachers of students with visual impairments or orientation and mobility specialists is necessary.

Facilitating Postsecondary Transition and Promoting Academic Success Through Language/Literacy-Based Self-Determination Strategies.

As noted by Powell (2018), speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the overarching curriculum for all students in schools, and this holds true for adolescents who require transition planning. The purpose of this tutorial is to focus on transition planning for secondary school students with a language-based learning disability (LLD) and provide a case illustration for how SLPs may use self-determination strategies to facilitate postsecondary transition while promoting academic success. As students with LLD enter secondary school, they are expected to write and think at more complex levels than ever before to meet post-graduation workforce demands, yet the provision of needed language-literacy intervention services drastically declines. Teaching students with LLD self-determination skills, such as awareness of their own strengths and limitations, self-advocacy strategies, and self-regulation, is found to be related to positive post-school outcomes and can be readily integrated into transition planning by the SLP. SLPs may ideally support secondary school student language-literacy needs in transition planning by using self-determination strategies to help access the curriculum and experience postsecondary success.

Health Care Self-Advocacy Strategies for Negotiating Health Care Environments: Analysis of Recommendations by Satisfied Consumers with SCI and SCI Practitioners.

doi: 10.1310/sci2201-13 Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) often experience complex health problems that, if untreated, can be costly and debilitating. In turn, they are high users of primary care. One study found that, during primary care visits, approximately 80% of the problems mentioned by patients with SCI were related to secondary conditions, such as urinary tract infections, pain, and skin problems. In a study of SCI patients in the Netherlands, over half (52%) of the contact with a primary care doctor was related to secondary conditions, with 34% considered to be preventable. Despite the necessity for quality health care, individuals with SCI face structural and environmental barriers, such as problems with transportation and inaccessible provider offices and equipment; studies have consistently found that these barriers hinder patients with disabilities from receiving needed care, including preventive screenings. Process barriers, such as physician’s lack of SCI knowledge, are also an ongoing problem. One study reported that emergency department (ED) residents displayed appropriate knowledge of 6 serious complications for SCI patients in the ED only 47% of the time. Other studies reported that SCI patients have difficulty finding knowledgeable doctors and feel the need to educate them about their disability. While potentially dangerous, limited provider knowledge can also pose a substantial hurdle for SCI patients in accessing primary health care. Lack of funding and service fragmentation are also cited as major process barriers. In navigating the numerous barriers within the health care system, individuals with SCI often struggle to get their health care needs met. When surveyed, 33% of patients with SCI expressed an unmet primary care need, with greater unmet needs related to lower income and poorer health status. A study of ED use by individuals with traumatic SCI classified half of ED visits as potentially preventable or of low urgency. Every consumer must navigate a complex interplay of socioeconomic, environmental, and physical factors unique to their situation as they try to access quality primary care. While many studies have documented barriers to care and health disparities, as well as recommended systems-level changes, few have focused on the navigation strategies utilized by consumers to effectively get their needs met. A fuller understanding of consumer-level strategies could facilitate the development of effective interventions – which

Utilizing the Community Health Worker Model to communicate strategies for asthma self-management and self-advocacy among public housing residents

Non-Hispanic Black children in the US experience a higher prevalence of asthma and are more likely to have severe and poorly controlled asthma than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. These disparities are particularly pronounced among those living in public housing compared to the general population. To combat these disparities, health care researchers collaborated with public housing management to deliver a year-long community health worker (CHW) asthma and healthy homes intervention to children with asthma in six public housing developments. CHWs, hired from the targeted housing developments, educated families to better manage asthma medically and address asthma triggers in the home, and served as a bridge to medical, social, and public housing services. This is the first time such a full spectrum asthma intervention has been implemented by CHWs in public housing. Fifty-nine children completed the intervention, 95% of whom were African American. Daytime asthma symptoms in the previous two weeks were significantly reduced between baseline (4.1) and 1-year follow-up (0.8). The percent of children making two or more urgent health resource utilization visits decreased significantly between baseline (42%) and 1-year follow-up (15%). Quality of life scores for caregivers of children increased significantly (by 0.7 points). The implementation of the CHW model in a public housing setting not only meets children where they live, but effectively bridges the gap between them and the health care system, reducing the disproportionate burden of asthma in these communities and improving overall quality of life.

Healthcare Self-advocacy Strategies for Consumers with Spinal Cord Injury: Qualitative Interviews with Consumers and Professionals

To explore consumer perspectives on effective self-advocacy in the health care setting for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), compared to rehabilitation professionals. Semi-structured qualitative interviews. In-person interviews were conducted with consumers. Telephone interviews were conducted with SCI professionals. Seven SCI consumers (5 men, 2 women); 4 professionals Not applicable Coding and thematic analysis of professionally transcribed qualitative interview data. Domain analysis revealed several domains and sub-domains: 1) primary care provider (PCP), with sub-domains of finding a PCP, qualities to look for in a doctor, and communication; 2) Equipment, with sub-domains of issues with obtaining equipment and insurance issues; 3) Self-Advocacy Skill Development, with sub-domains of general skills and health care navigation. Consumers recommend the most effective self advocacy skills they have experienced in the health care setting, as echoed by rehabilitation professionals.

Using a Self-Advocacy Intervention on African American College Students’ Ability to Request Academic Accommodations

Due to an increase in enrollment of African American students with disabilities in postsecondary education, there is a need to identify strategies that may lead to improved transition and self-advocacy skills for these students. These strategies include teaching students to request academic accommodations and to have an understanding of how their disability affects their academic learning. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth explanation of a self-advocacy strategy that was used to teach three African American male college students how to request their academic accommodations. Results indicated this strategy may be a promising intervention for African American college students with disabilities.

Middle-aged and older Latino American women in the patient-doctor interaction.

Latino women's views of and actual experiences in the patient-doctor interaction have been little explored. In focus groups with middle-aged and older Latino women, topics including assertiveness in the medical encounter, experiences in actual medical encounters, and characteristics of the "ideal" doctor were explored. Contrary to conceptualizations in the literature, assertiveness was viewed as a reciprocal process between patient and doctor, rather than the behavior of the patient alone. Assertiveness centered on obtaining answers to patient health questions. Strategies for self-advocacy were indirect, primarily changing doctors when dissatisfied; while strategies for advocating for family members were direct, primarily expressing dissatisfaction directly to medical staff. Undocumented immigrant status was described as limiting self-assertion and medical care access. Age was linked to doctor gender preferences. Middle-aged women preferred female doctors, while older women preferred male doctors. Across groups, women expressed preference for Spanish-speaking doctors, but not for doctors of the same ethnicity. Trustworthiness was identified by participants as the most important doctor characteristic, and learnable behaviors as exemplifying trustworthiness.

Using The Self-Advocacy Strategy to Increase Middle Graders' IEP Participation

This study investigated the effects of teaching middle grade students with disabilities to participate in their IEP meetings using The Self-Advocacy Strategy. Four students with high-incident disabilities were taught to be active participants in their IEP meetings. Student contributions, along with scores on The Arc's Self-Determination Scale, were used to measure the effectiveness of the strategy. Findings from this study indicate that The Self-Advocacy Strategy is an effective instructional tool that can be used to teach middle grade students with disabilities to be active participants in their IEP meetings.

Using the Self-Advocacy Strategy to Increase Student Participation in IEP Conferences

In this study, the author analyzed the effects of using the Self-Advocacy Strategy to increase student participation in Individualized Education Program conferences. An experimental design was used to collect data throughout the students' IPLAN program. Student participation and ability to self-advocate increased when the Self-Advocacy Strategy was used.

The Development and Validation of an Interactive Hypermedia Program for Teaching a Self-Advocacy Strategy to Students with Disabilities

Educators agree that students with disabilities need to acquire self-advocacy skills. Despite the existence of validated methods to teach these skills, evidence suggests that they are seldom explicitly taught. Time and opportunities to teach these skills in both the general and special education setting are minimal. One possible solution is to use instructional technology. The purpose of this project was to develop and validate an Interactive Hypermedia Program (IHP) to teach a self-advocacy strategy to secondary-level students with disabilities. The strategy for which the IHP was developed and tested is the Self-Advocacy Strategy (Van Reusen, Bos, Schumaker, & Deshler, 1994). The instruction for the strategy was originally validated by Van Reusen, Deshler, and Schumaker (1989). With input from student, teacher, design, and technical consultants, the IHP was created. Students who had learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and other health impairments learned the strategy via the IHP or through live instruction. A multiple-baseline design was used to show the effects of the instruction. In addition, a no-treatment comparison group was included for comparative purposes. At the conclusion of instruction, each student ran his or her own IEP conference. Results showed that the IHP was as effective in teaching students with learning disabilities to use the strategy as live instruction. Further research is warranted to determine if this medium is effective in teaching students other types of strategies.

The Self-Advocacy Strategy for Education and Transition Planning

New Products is a regular department that describes recently published teaching materials or tests. It is usually written by the staff of the publisher or by the author of the material or test. Suggestions for this column should be sent to Ann Grasso Ryan, Column Editor, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105.—AGR