14 Self-Advocacy
Learning Objectives
- To understand what self-advocacy is and some ways to apply it to your life.
- To understand what self-care is and reflect on how you look after yourself.
Self-advocacy is how we communicate our needs, wants and rights to access required accommodations or support (Hoey, 2024). Self-advocacy is important for everyone to understand to ensure they receive the appropriate support. No one else knows what you need better than yourself. So, recognising the reasonable accommodations you may need when working with others or in day-to-day life is an important skill to develop.
5 Quick Ways to Self-Advocate
Use the interactive activity to learn 5 quick ways to self-advocate and help you high-five yourself! You can read more about each tip below.
Created by Teagan Menhenett, © Deakin University 2024, licensed under CC-BY-NC.
Copyright note: The image in the above activity is used under the Pixabay Content License.
Created by Teagan Menhenett, © Deakin University 2024, licensed under CC-BY-NC.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know when, or if you need accommodations or supports, or if your rights are being supported by other students in your team. If you are unsure, or you feel as though you are not supported in your team, it is best to talk to your lecturer or unit chair about how you are feeling.
Self-Care
Self-care encompasses any activates that feel good for you and have your wellbeing at heart. For some people this might be playing with a pet, exercising or catching up with friends. Self-care can also involve things we may not always want to do but are often necessary to maintain our health and wellbeing. This might be getting enough sleep, eating well, taking time to rest or visiting your doctor.
It is important to focus on the things you enjoy and to recharge your battery, particularly if you find working in a team environment or communicating with others challenging.
We have shared a few strategies that have worked for us throughout this book, think about what self-care looks like for you and feel free to share strategies that work for you.
Add Your Contribution to the Word Cloud
Add your anonymous contribution to the word cloud below answering, ‘What does self-care look like for you?’
Note- you will need to use the QR code to add your response, as the code will not work.
Key Takeaways
- Self-advocacy and self-care are both vital parts of working in a team. It is important to ensure your needs are met, and you are looking after yourself.
These are some of the words you may have come across in this chapter:
How we communicate our needs, wants and rights to access required accommodations or support.
Any activates that feel good for you and have your wellbeing at heart.
