Effective advocacy can only happen in a climate of mutual respect. This means that we need to act respectfully in all our relationships with all participants in the advocacy process. As parents, educators and practitioners it is very important to teach advocacy skills to the child with a learning difficulty. Be able to understand and describe the learning difficulty You need to know and understand how the child learns best, why the child has difficulty learning certain kinds of information and what will make learning less difficult. It is important to gather all the information that you can about the learning difficulty.
Information is Power.
Having adequate information is the basic requirement to becoming an active participant in any system. Become a part of the decision making process It is important to include the child in the decision making process. Say what you want in an assertive and respectful way People are their own best advocates. The voice of children, youth and their families is valuable it is not a problem. Keep Records Keep records of whom you talked to, what was said, when the conversations took place and did you contact the person by phone or in person.