Self Advocacy
Visit www.das.kucrl.org/iam.html to view and download original copies of the brochure used to create this page
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 four (4) steps a habit will help you to be a good self-advocate and a successful student.
Step 1 : Know Yourself and Your Disability
Before you can advocate for yourself, you need to identify your:
Strengths - the skills you do well right now
Areas to improve - the skills you need to improve that will help you realize success
Interests - the career areas you may want to explore
Preferences - the ways you like to learn and the ways you learn best
You also need to know how to talk about your disability in a way that other people will understand. Are you able to answer the following questions?
What is my disability? How does it impact my learning? What accommodations in the past have been helpful to me ?
Where is my official documentation or paper work that explains what my disability is?
Does the college or school (UAS) have my documentation so that I can get the accommodations that will help me succeed?
Step 2 : 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.
The online brochure "Rights and Responsibilities for Students with Disabilities" and the UAS Disability Support Services website both provide more information on this topic.
Are you able to answer the following questions?
What are my responsibilities?
What are my rights?
Step 3 : 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 the Disability Support Services office is a good idea.
At the University of Alaska Southeast two valuable resources are:
Disability Support Services
(907) 796-6000
email : dss@uas.alaska.edu
located at the SRC across from Activities and Housing in the Mourant building.
Student Resource Center
(907)-796-6000
1 (800) - 465-4827 toll free
email: uas.info@uas.alaska.edu
Step 4 : 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 the DSS Coordinator and other faculty about disabilities. Talking to these individuals might seem scary now, but as you become more aware of who you are, you will gain confidence.
