Teaching Your Child About Self-Advocacy

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Self-advocacy is a critical skill your child will use to effectively communicate their needs and preferences. When children learn to speak up for themselves, they become active participants in their education and daily life. This is especially important for children who are blind or have low vision. 

Strategies to Teach Self-Advocacy 

Helping your child develop self-advocacy skills begins early and continues to evolve. Consider incorporating the following strategies into everyday routines. 

Start Early and Practice Regularly 

• Incorporate in Daily Activities: 
  • At restaurants, provide different ways your child can access the menu: a phone to enlarge the print or screen read the website, an app that could read the menu, a portable magnifier, or ask you to read it if there isn’t a braille option.  
  • In stores, let your child ask employees for help when they cannot locate something they are looking for. 

• Develop a Self-Advocacy Toolkit: 
  • Create a simple script your child can use to request or decline help  (e.g., “No, thank you. I can do it,” or “I need my monocular, please.”). 
  • Discuss simple phrases your child may use to describe their blindness or low vision if or when strangers ask about a tool they use.  

Role-Play Common Scenarios 

• Practice at Home: 
  • Simulate situations your child might encounter at school, possibly needing to move to a space where they can see better, using assistive technology at appropriate times, or asking for assistance at lunch to open a container. 
  • For example, role-play a scenario at the zoo where your child might say, “Can we move closer to see the animals?” or choose between two options provided by you. 

• Sibling Role-Play Sessions: 
  • Siblings often provide many opportunities for your child to practice their self-advocacy skills. While it may drive you crazy when they argue, it provides real-life opportunities for your child to stand up for themselves. Working through the skills of communicating feelings and needs and even negotiation can be practiced during these moments.  

Encourage Information Sharing 

• Teach Them to Explain Their Needs: 
  • Help your child craft a brief explanation of their visual impairment that they can use when asking for help. 
  • For instance, “I have low vision, so I need to sit closer.” 

• Model Self-Advocacy: 
  • Demonstrate self-advocacy in your own interactions. When ordering food or making requests, verbalize your needs clearly. 
  • Discuss and model these interactions with your child so they understand why and how you assert yourself. 

Leverage Peer Mentoring and Support Networks 

• Connect with Role Models: 
  • Encourage your child to interact with older students or adults with visual impairments who can share their self-advocacy experiences. 
  • Attend advocacy workshops or parent support groups to exchange ideas and resources. 

• Utilize Online Resources: 
  • Explore websites and forums such as APH FamilyConnect for additional tips and success stories. 
  • Social media can be another resource to find families and individuals who can share their experiences as individuals with blindness or families advocating for their child.  

• School-Based Mentorship: 
  • Work with your child’s school to create mentorship opportunities where peers who successfully self-advocate share their strategies in classroom settings. 

Additional Tips for Parents 

• Document and Reflect: 
  • Keep a journal of self-advocacy moments—what worked, what felt challenging, and areas for improvement. 
  • Use these reflections to adjust strategies and celebrate progress. 

• Provide Consistent Feedback: 
  • After each self-advocacy attempt, offer constructive feedback. Praise your child for their effort, even if the outcome isn’t what.  
  • Discuss strategies for what to do when your child has advocated for a need that didn’t go as requested.  

• Collaborate with Educators: 
  • Work closely with your child’s teachers to ensure they understand and support your child’s need to advocate for themselves. 
  • Share examples of successful self-advocacy and request that teachers allow time for your child to practice these skills during class. 

It is a Process 

Remember that self-advocacy will take time and practice and will grow with your child. As their language evolves, so will their self-advocacy. There will be times when your child may be more direct and others when they give more justification and reasoning. Be there to support their evolving self-advocacy skills and share in their success and support when needed. 

Frequently Asked Questions