A major part of being an advocate involves talking with government officials and agency representatives, who have the power to make a difference in your loved one’s life. You want to be prepared for this task in order for your efforts to bring positive results for those persons whose cause you support.
Step you can take to advocate for your child
1. Join the PTA
Your school’s parent organization is a great way to get started in fighting for the needs of your child and other children with special needs. Once a month, and through volunteer opportunities in between, you can make it clear that children with disabilities have people who will stand up for them and be involved, and you can make sure that their needs and successes are part of any school discussion.
2. Write a Letter
In many communities, subjects of community concern are debated with passion in the Letters to the Editor section of the local paper. Voices there are sometimes compelling, sometimes strident, but they set the tone and the topic for community conversation. Make sure the concerns of families like yours are included. Whether it’s rebutting arguments that you disagree with or putting forth problems or positive stories, you have the power to raise the profile of children with special needs without ever leaving your computer.
3. Attend Community Meetings
Meetings of the School Board and the City Council are usually open to the public, and so boring that the public would rather do anything than go. Still, if there’s a big issue being discussed that affects your child, go and make your voice heard. Gather other parents whose children have similar needs. It’s terrible to feel that you have to be a squeaky wheel to get the grease, but local politicians, in particular, seem to respond to the voter voices that are loudest in their ears. Be such a voice.
4. Write A Blog
It seems like not much of a thing, writing your family’s story in pixels and posting it for whoever stumbles upon it to see. But there are an awful lot of powerful parenting special needs blogs out there, and together they form a thriving, intimate, affecting picture of what living with and loving a child with a disability looks like. That’s an experience that’s been shrouded in silence and secrecy in the past, and this new opportunity for social expression is one we should seize and exploit.
4. Follow up
By sending a handwritten note or letter, your correspondence will stand out. Legislators receive hundreds of emails a day and this may be appropriate if a vote on your legislation is coming right up. But a personal letter is a wonderful way By sending a handwritten note or letter, your correspondence will stand out. Legislators receive hundreds of emails a day and this may be appropriate if a vote on your legislation is coming right up. But a personal letter is a wonderful way of sharing your story and educating an official. Just remember what your mother taught you – “please and thank you” go a long way! Your follow up letter, phone call, or email will show the legislator that you are truly engaged with your issue. Thank them for their time and effort in visiting with you and offer to be a resource if there are further questions that need answers. Also, if your advocacy is successful and legislation is enacted supporting your position, again thank the legislator and perhaps invite him or her to your organization or recognize their efforts in another fashion. This can help to establish a long and beneficial relationship with your elected officials.
Sometimes caring for family involves more than the daily activities of providing food and shelter. Sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zones to do the right thing for our family and others. When you are passionate about helping your loved one and others, these tips can help you expand your reach outside your home or community. Maybe you could be the one to make a real difference statewide or nationally, for your loved one and others by your efforts at advocacy. .
5. Donate
By donating and/or joining an existing power structure such as NCPAG you are helping us change laws and recieve the help that is needed. Network with other parents with children in special education, or with a disability similar to yours, and host a get-together. Talking with other parents about their needs and concerns may help you develop a plan of action, and working together to further those goals will help you get attention. There’s strength in numbers.
Sometimes caring for family involves more than the daily activities of providing food and shelter. Sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zones to do the right thing for our family and others. When you are passionate about helping your loved one and others, these tips can help you expand your reach outside your home or community. Maybe you could be the one to make a real difference statewide or nationally, for your loved one and others by your efforts at advocacy.
Sometimes caring for family involves more than the daily activities of providing food and shelter. Sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zones to do the right thing for our family and others. When you are passionate about helping your loved one and others, these tips can help you expand your reach outside your home or community. Maybe you could be the one to make a real difference statewide or nationally, for your loved one and others by your efforts at advocacy.