Latest / Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22 / Episode 10: Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy: Why Both Matter in Transition Planning

Transcript

Episode 10: Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy: Why Both Matter in Transition Planning · Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone and welcome back.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you all had a nice holiday and winter break.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I am a bit under the weather, so today's podcast, if you're watching it on YouTube, will be audio only since my nose looks a lot like Rudolph's right now.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Before we jump into today's episode, I want to talk about two terms that come up all the time in transition planning conversations and that are often used interchangeably, even though they really shouldn't be.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to unpack self-determination and self-advocacy, what they mean, how they're different, how they work together, and why understanding the difference matters so much for our young adults' future.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Parenting can be hard no matter what age or stage you are in.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: But what happens when your child becomes an adult and they will need a lifetime of support?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Cheryl and welcome to the podcast Life Without a Filter.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: My goal is to share our not so unique, maybe specific journey as a family navigating the various special education transition services and creating our Sun's self-directed adult program.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: While we don't have all the answers, our hope is that you can learn from our experiences to make your own path a bit smoother.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also have some special guests providing resources and sharing their personal stories of navigating within the Adult Disability Services world.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let's embark on this journey together.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: In this week's episode, I want to take a closer look at two terms that are frequently used in the disability, education, and transition world, and those are self-determination and self-advocacy.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: You've probably heard both of these words in IEP meetings, transition planning discussions, or conversations about adult services.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And while they're often used as if they mean the same thing, they actually represent two different but deeply connected ideas.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start by grounding ourselves in the definitions.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, self-determination is the process by which a person controls their own life, while self-advocacy is the action of representing oneself or one's views or interests.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: At first glance, these definitions sound pretty similar.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: They're both about autonomy, they're both about voice, and technically they're both nouns.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: But the real difference between them shows up when we look at the action behind each one.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So to take a look at how they're the same and how they're different, I'd like to think about self-determination and self-advocacy using a travel analogy.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: So let's think of life as a journey.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: And in that vision, self-determination is the plan, while self-advocacy is the journey itself.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Let's break this down a little bit more.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Self-determination is about deciding what kind of life do I want?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: What matters to me?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: What are my strengths?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: What are my interests?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And what are my needs?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: And where do I want to go next?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, self-determination is your young adult creating their roadmap.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the key part.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: That roadmap needs to belong to them, not to parents, not to teachers, and not to peers.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's be real for a moment.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: None of us live in a bubble.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: There are always stakeholders in our lives, those same parents, educators, service providers who influence and support the planning process.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that's okay, and that's very necessary for some of our young adults.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: But true self-determination means that our young adult is the one driving the bus.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Their team may help map the route, their team may help when the bus breaks down or takes a wrong turn, but your young adult is still the driver.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And this is where person-centered planning comes in.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to my podcast, you know that I've already done a segment on person-centered planning and how important I feel that person-centered planning is to all of our young adults, regardless of whether they're in school or in the adult service world.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the primary ways to support self-determination is through person-centered planning.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Person-centered planning can start with transition assessments, both formal and informal, and these assessments can give us valuable information about interests, strengths, preferences, and support needs.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: And all of that information feeds into a person-centered plan.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Also, in my previous podcast, I went over different person-centered planning models that people use in conjunction with the formal and informal transition assessments to help our young adults create their plan.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: As I've also mentioned in my previous podcast about person-centered planning, person-centered planning is not a one-and-done option.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: For us, we do person-centered planning every single year with Al as he prepares for his annual ISP meeting.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Once your young adult has a plan, they now have something incredibly important.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: They have a starting point.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because if self-determination is the plan, self-advocacy is how your young adult moves that plan forward in real life.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Self-advocacy is about communicating what they want, what they need, what works for them, and what doesn't work for them.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's what happens in the IEP and ISP meetings.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: It happens when our young adult speaks up at work, in school, or in their community.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Even though we call it self-advocacy, this doesn't mean your young adult has to do it all alone.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, this is where their circle of care becomes invaluable.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you read my blog, I also did a blog post specific to the circle of care, and I'll also be turning that into a podcast for a future episode.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Your circle of care is made up of supportive adults that can help your young adult by teaching advocacy skills, modeling what advocacy looks like, helping them practice scripts and language, and stepping in when support is needed.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: The goal isn't independence at all costs, it's supported independence.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: If your young adult is self-determined but doesn't self-advocate, their dreams and goals often go unfulfilled.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if there's no self-determination or no plan, then what exactly are they advocating for?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is why you'll often see self-advocacy listed as a component of self-determination, and you truly can't do one without the other.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: So here's my call to action for you this week.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look at your young adult's current plan, whether that's an IEP or ISP, and ask yourself, how is self-determination being supported?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Where are we intentionally teaching and practicing self-advocacy?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And what goals could be added that focus specifically on advocacy skills?
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, self-determination sets the direction while self-advocacy moves the plan forward.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: When both are working together, your young adult is far more likely to build a life that truly reflects who they are.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, thanks for listening.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd love to hear from you.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Send me a message, leave a comment, or connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And as always, if you want more resources on transition planning, assistive technology, or self direction, you can find everything on my website.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, take care of yourself and remember you're doing an incredible job.