SUPPORTING THE JOURNEY OF EVERYDAY SELF-ADVOCACY

ROXANA SAMANIEGO, PH.D.

Director of Clinical Services

As students transition from high school to college, their journey toward independence and self-advocacy becomes increasingly important. Families and supporters played a critical role in helping students reach college, by advocating, seeking help, and offering encouragement when needed. Families and supporters continue to play a vital role in helping students build the skills they need to thrive—not just academically, but socially and professionally. However, now the challenge is supporting their student in advocating for themselves. A number of different researchers over the years have demonstrated time and again that students with disabilities who masters skills around self-advocacy, particularly understanding their needs and seeking support, are more likely to persist and succeed in college (e.g., Adams & Proctor, 2010; Getzel & Thoma, 2008; Daly-Cano, Vaccaro & Newman, 2015). At the SALT Center, we frequently talk with students about “everyday” self-advocacy, which are the small-scale, daily behaviors that help them access what they need. These everyday tasks, like talking to a professor about a need or speaking up to their friends when they need to access a space differently, may be small in scale, but are no less critical to their development and to their success in college. We can talk about the development of everyday self-advocacy occurring in three stages:

Level 1: Emerging Self-Advocacy (High School Age)

Before students can independently advocate for themselves, they need to understand who they are as learners, so the focus is on building awareness and practicing with support. Families support this process in a number of different ways:

• Encouraging self-awareness: Families and educators help students understand their learning differences, strengths, and challenges. Students begin to participate, and even lead, 504 or IEP meetings, and practice discussing their diagnoses honestly, rather than being kept from their information.
• Promoting trial and error: Allowing students to try, and sometimes fail, is how they learn. If the adults can avoid stepping in too quickly, this allows students to build their sense of competence and confidence.
• Modeling communication: Students are practicing conversations with teachers or peers with trusted adults. We help them practice by asking questions that guide and help them prioritize important tasks.
• Supporting exploration: Families help their students discover what learning strategies work best for them and connect them with communities that can understand them, such as advocacy groups.

These skills don’t disappear in college—they evolve. Students may still need reminders and encouragement to use these strategies as they enter Level 2.

Level 2: Independently Practicing Self-Advocacy in College

College marks a shift: students are now legal adults and expected to advocate for themselves. Families and supporters are fading into a more supportive role as their students take the lead in communicating with staff and accessing accommodations. At this level, with the support of SALT Center staff, students are:

• Practicing communicating needs: Students must speak up in group projects, explain accommodations to peers, and advocate in housing or academic settings. They often practice with their specialists about how to structure their conversations with professors or how to draft professional emails.
• Building learning partnerships and other relationships: Through relationships with their peers and their support professionals, they are continuing to build their awareness of their strengths and challenges, as well as becoming more aware of the types of supports that are most helpful.
• Navigating challenges: Whether it’s emailing a professor or discussing strengths in a job interview, students are practicing flexibility and problem-solving daily. Only through navigating challenges can students build the resilience needed to persist at the university.

Families and support professionals continue to cheer for their students’ effort and progress and help them to reflect on what is working.

Level 3: Looking Ahead to Life After College

In adulthood, self-advocacy becomes more nuanced. Students transition into self-authorship, where they define their own goals, values, and needs. We strive to see students engaging in:

• Working partnerships: Advocating in professional settings and managing new challenges.
• Ongoing self-assessment: Understanding when and how to ask for support.
• Empowered independence: Navigating life with confidence and clarity.

Families continue to support this process by listening and encouraging, normalizing new challenges, and celebrating their students' autonomy. Self-advocacy is not a one-time skill—it’s a lifelong journey. By supporting students through each level, families and supporters help build the foundation for a confident, capable adult who knows how to speak up, seek support, and thrive.

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