Students shared their experiences advocating for accommodations and more in this live panel in June 2021.
What is Self-Advocacy?
Self-advocacy is the ability to articulate one’s needs and make informed decisions about the support necessary to meet those needs. Self-advocacy is an important skill to express what you need in school, the workplace and the community. Effective self-advocacy involves four important parts:
- Knowledge of self
- Knowledge of rights
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
Strong self-advocacy skills help you get what you need and have control over your accommodations.
[Image description: A dark teal background with an illustrated lighter teal person standing in the middle, holding a fist up. At the top, a white speech bubble with teal letters: Self Advocacy. Around the person are stylized white text on a dark teal background: is the ability to articulate one’s needs & make informed decisions about the support necessary to meet those needs. At the bottom, a courtroom icon with text: Knowledge of rights. An icon of three heads: Leadership skills. An icon of a diamond: Knowledge of Self. An icon of speech bubbles: Communication skills.]
There are three components of self-determination: decide, act, and believe.
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Take Control of Your Online Learning
Whether your classes are in-person or online, colleges and universities are required to make the learning environment accessible. Review the following tips for how to advocate for access in online learning: Higher education institutions are still required to make online spaces accessible for deaf students. Learn more to better advocate for access in online learning
- 7 Tips for College Students to Take Control of Online Learning
- Using Hearing Assistive Devices at Home: 5 Tips for Deaf College Students
- What can I do when my video is slow, fuzzy or loses its connection?
- How can I connect my hearing aid or implant to access my online courses at home?
- What are some strategies when working with remote interpreters or speech-to-text providers?
- Auto Captions and Deaf Students: Why Automatic Speech Recognition Technology Is Not the Answer (Yet)
- Know Your Education Rights as College Student During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Be Prepared for Different Situations
Different situations may require some innovative strategies and trying different accommodations. Research what is coming next and work on a plan!
- What if face masks are required?
- I want to go into the medical field. What should I expect if I have an internship?
- My service providers are “remote”. What does this mean?
- Who provides the fire alarm in my dorm room?
- I want to attend events on my campus. Can I request accommodations?
- I’m enrolling in a foreign language course. How do I start a conversation with my teacher about my accommodations?
STAY CONNECTED WITH NDC
- Start with our COVID-19 Information page and FAQs for more resources and information.
- NDC | Help Team can answer questions, provide resources, connect people, and more.
- Subscribe to the newsletter and listserv to keep current and connect with peers.
DIG DEEPER
Check out our online learning library for free, online professional development.
- Learn the basics: Foundations of Effective Accommodations.
- Take a broader look: Improving Campus Access.
