My Life, My Way: Self Advocacy Explained By Self Advocates

April 17, 2024 | by sau1admin

SAU1 grew to be the organization we are today in large part because the rights of people with disabilities were not being validated by people providing support to those with disabilities. So, SAU1 staff got together with the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) in Pennsylvania to come up with some core values that need to be respected for people with disabilities to live their life, their way. These are called the Self Advocate Values for an Everyday Life.

These 15 values were created to help support people with disabilities to live their everyday lives. ODP even put these principles and values in a book called Everyday Lives.

A full PDF version of Everyday Lives is available online. You can also view a list of all 15 values on our website! The value we want to talk about today is advocacy.

If you have been reading our blogs since the beginning, we have already talked about self advocacy in general terms. (If you have not already read the first self advocacy blog, you are encouraged to do so). Now we want to share what self advocacy means to those in the disability community. In self advocates’ own words, self advocacy means, “I am the best person to let others know what I want and need. The people around me listen to me and understand what I want and need, and assist me to be heard by others.”

This is the basis for everything we do at SAU1. As we say, “nothing about us without us.” This means that nothing should be decided about your life without your input.

Be on the lookout next week for another blog discussing one of these values. Also, be watching as we include these values into other projects in the future!