Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference 2022

Often when we think of advocacy, we think of effecting policy change or work that our lawmakers do. However, self-advocacy for people on the autism spectrum is an entirely different ballgame and covers a lot of ground - it can be effective communication in personal, educational, and professional settings. It could be as simple as saying yes or no, or as complicated as standing up for your rights, or creating change. Furthermore, advocacy skills can be used to create positive change for autistic individuals, their families, friends, allies, and their communities. This session aims to bust advocacy myths, encourage self-advocacy, teach self-advocacy skills and strategies, and also inform all communities about larger goals and issues being tackled that self-advocacy skills could be valuably applied to.