Self-Advocacy
Steps you can take to help you be a successful student
In college YOU
are responsible for getting the help you need. You must be able to advocate for
yourself. Advocates are persons who know what they want and will stand up
for their rights. Making each of the following 5 steps a habit will help you to
be a good self-advocate and a successful student.
Know Yourself and Your Disability
Before you can advocate for yourself, you need to identify your:
- Strengths - the skills you do well right now.
My strengths are: ________________
______________________________
______________________________
- Areas to improve - the skills you need improve that will help you realize success.
- The areas I need to improve are:
_______________________________
_______________________________
- Interests - the career areas you may want to explore.
- My interests are: _________________
______________________________
______________________________
- Preferences - the ways you like to learn.
- The ways I learn best are: ____________
________________________________
________________________________
- You also need to know how to talk about your disability in a way that
other people will understand. Do you know what your disability is?
- My disability is: ____________________
________________________________
- Where is your official documentation or paperwork that explains what your disability
is?________________
________________________________
- The college or school has my documentation so that I can get the
accommodations that will help me succeed:
YES NO **
**If no, this should be one of your top immediate priorities.
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Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
Colleges cannot close
their doors to you because you have a disability. Your school must provide
services that will allow you an equal opportunity to succeed in school. Please
refer to the web pages titled "Rights and
Responsibilities" and "More Rights and Responsibilities for Students with
Disabilities." It has more information on this topic.
- My responsibilities are: ______________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
- My rights are: _____________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
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Know Where to Go for Help
A very important part of
being a successful student is the ability to know when you need help or when you
don’t need help. Writing down the names and phone numbers of the people on
campus who will help you, including staff at Disabled Student Programs and Services, is a good idea.
The people I can go to for help are:
- Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
- Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
- Name: ________________
Phone: ________________
- DSPS Support Services Reception Desk, SLO Campus, Bldg. 3300, or
546-3100 x2527 V, or (805) 546-3149 TDD or 546-3148 V/TDD. E-mail
address: ifrench@cuesta.edu
- DSPS Support Services, NC Campus, Room N3024, or (805) 591-6215 or
(805) 591-6216 TDD. E-mail address: kreyes@cuesta.edu
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Take Action
Once you know who you are
and what you need, you can work on reaching your goals. You should also work on
communicating your needs. This means that you should practice talking with your
instructors. You might practice on a counselor or a trusted friend. Practice
explaining your disability and the accommodations or modifications you will need
to help you be successful.
Realize that you will not
be the first student to ever talk with an instructor. Talking to an instructor
might seem scary now, but as you become more aware of who you are, you will gain
more confidence. When you are ready, schedule a meeting with your
instructors.
These ideas can make the
meeting with your instructors go smoothly:
- Talk with your
instructor before the semester starts.
- Schedule a private
meeting in his/her office.
- Be prepared to discuss
your disability.
- Be ready to refer the
instructor to the Disability Support Services office if he/ she needs more
information than you have.
- Be confident! You know
yourself better than anyone.
- Thank your instructor
meeting with you.
-OR-
- Some students find it
easier to write a letter to give to their instructors instead of talking to
them. Writing a letter allows you to edit and re-edit what you are trying to
say.
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Manage Your Time Wisely
One of the best ways to be
a successful student is to use your time wisely.
Planning your time each
day will help you to stay on track. Some people like to carry a calendar with
them to help organize their day. Other people make "to do" lists and cross off
tasks as they are completed.
Estimate how long you need
to accurately complete your different school tasks and set that time aside
each day. Give yourself extra time to work on homework to make sure that
you do a good job.
Do you know how long you
need to study before you take tests? If you wait until the last minute, you
might not have enough time to get your mind ready for your test.
Managing your time might
be the most important factor in being a successful student.
This page derived from a document which was supported in whole or in part by the U. S. Department of
Education, Office of Special Education Programs, (Cooperative Agreement No.
H324M980109). However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect
the policy or position of the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs, and no official endorsement by the Department should be
inferred. Note: There are no copyright restrictions on this document: however,
please credit the source and support of federal funds when copying all or part
of this material. This document is also available on the web for printing at:
http://das.kucrl.org/iam.html.
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