6 Attributes of an Effective Special Needs Advocate

by JoleneMay 8, 2014Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting3 comments

Advocacy is part and parcel of being the parent of a child with special needs. These 6 tips can help you become an effective special needs advocate.

If you’re the parent of a child with special needs, you are already an advocate. And you want to be the best advocate you can be…for the good of your child. TCPalm.com ran an excellent article by Samantha Kayser that listed several attributes of effective special needs advocates and how to develop those attributes.

6 Attributes of an Effective Special Needs Advocate

Kayser listed these attributes suggested by Evelyn Duah. Duah is the administrator a local medical day care center for children newborn to 20 years of age and is passionate about parents advocating for their children.

Get organized. Create an organized medical file and save every piece of paper pertaining to a child’s disabilities, services, needs, and more. Make copies monthly and scan new documents into the computer.
Get educated. Research your rights, therapies, and more. Be willing to learn, ask questions, and keep asking questions until you understand.
Educate others. Respond patiently with the appropriate information when people say hurtful things or respond in ignorance.
Be persistent. Don’t give up when you can’t get an appointment. Instead of getting angry, keep restating your need in a nice way.
Look for solutions. Instead of talking poorly about a doctor or the insurance company, focus on finding solutions.
Take care of yourself. Take some time to care for yourself; otherwise you’ll quickly burn out and be unable to care for your child. Find time each day, even if it’s only 5 minutes, to focus on your own needs.

Pretty good list, don’t you think?

How Have You Become an Effective Special Needs Advocate?

What have you learned about being an effective special needs advocate? What practices do you use on a regular basis? Leave a comment.

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By Jolene

Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon.

3 Comments

Donna Thomson on May 12, 2014 at 8:21 am

Thank you, Jolene! Here’s the link for my workshop (it can be delivered virtually via podcast/webcast as well as ‘live’ in person).
http://advocacyschool.org/how-know-what-you-want-and-get-what-you-need
If anyone is interested in booking this workshop, just click on the ‘contact’ link on the page.
Jolene on May 11, 2014 at 1:22 pm

Hi Donna,

Thanks for sharing it, Donna. Your workshop sounds amazing. For those of you who want to know more about Donna, her website is http://www.donnathomson.com. She has some great resources and encouragement there. Donna, is there an exact web page address in case people want to learn more about your workshop and how to book you as a speaker?

Jolene
Donna Thomson on May 8, 2014 at 5:59 pm

Great post – I have shared widely, thank you! I teach family caregivers best practice in advocacy. The title of my workshop is “How to Know What You Want and Get What You Need.” Some of the messages I deliver are that you cannot advocate alone – it’s better if you have well coordinated team. It’s important to research everything you can about your advocacy target organisation or person. Cultivate a champion within the organisation. Get inside their head and know their priorities and limitations. Frame your ‘ask’ to reflect an understanding of their realities and your needs. Always say thank you in writing.