Advocacy

Barriers to Self-advocacy

Adults with learning disabilities may not self-advocate effectively for many reasons, including the following:

• They may lack knowledge of themselves as learners, and be unable to clearly describe their abilities, needs and the conditions that best promote their learning.
• They may not know who to contact to obtain the necessary assistance or accommodations, what to ask for or how to best utilize supports.
• They may lack the ability to articulate personal strengths and needs clearly and appropriately. This may be a result of expressive language difficulties, weak social skills or lack of practice in describing their needs.
• They may not have been directly taught appropriate self-advocacy skills and/or do not have someone to coach them through situations where they might need to self-advocate.
• They may have limited confidence in their abilities and low self-esteem. As a result, they may be reluctant to ask questions in class or request extra assistance.
• They are often passive in their approach to their education, feeling that their educational future is beyond their control. This includes relying on their parents and teachers to advocate for them.
• They often encounter people who do not understand learning disabilities and why accommodations or assistance may be appropriate.¹³