The Necessity of Having an Independent Advocate for Children with Disabilities

An advocate gives support to anyone who finds it difficult to have their views heard. They offer time and commitment, help them to convey their wishes, make informed choices and gain greater control of their lives. It can help to understand the role of an advocate in the following terms:

An advocate can:

• help children and young people with a learning disability be involved in and understand proceedings or decisions that are being made, think about their options and say what they want
• ask questions on behalf of a child or young person
• make sure that the voice of the child or young person with disabilities is heard and responded to
• work to make things happen and change, by asking the right questions and findingout information help children and young people to make choices and have more control of their own life.

An advocate does not:

• break confidentiality for no reason
• become a referee in a dispute or argument
• say what is best for the child or young person or tell them what to do
• persuade a child or young person to agree with others
• take control away from the child or young person or keep information from them.

Children and young people who have disabilities can benefit from advocacy support for different reasons. They may need help at particular times in their life, such as transition from school and from children’s to adult health and social services. They may have difficulties in a range of settings, such as at school, the hospital or a youth club, and have no one to talk to and help them resolve it. They may need support during times when decisions are being made about their life, such as planning meetings or annual reviews.

Most often, parents and carers are the first and strongest advocate a child or young person will have. Their social worker, a support worker, a teacher or carer will also act as an advocate. Having an independent advocate, someone from an agency that does not deal directly with their care and education, can help ensure that the distinct voice of the child or young person is heard and valued. Advocates form a partnership with a child or young person. They establish the methods of communication they use and begin to get to know them. They learn how they prefer to communicate, the things that matter to them, as well as their likes and dislikes.

Augmentative and alternative communication methods: can be unaided or aided, using objects or devices. Examples of unaided methods of communication include gestures, facial expressions, vocalizations, speech, and sign language (such as American Sign Language). Examples of aided forms of communication include the following:Using an actual object to convey meaning; for example, your child hands you a cup to let you know she is thirstyPointing to symbols, such as pictures or textures on a communication board or in a bookActivating a device; for example, your child presses a switch or button on a recorded speech device, initiating auditory output that says "I'm thirsty."

Like a communication board, a communication book has selected symbols that your child can point to in order to convey her message. The book may be arranged so that the first page has broad categories, such as emotions, foods, and people. Once your child picks a category, the person she is talking with turns to a page that offers more specific choices within that category.Keyboards: Your child may type a message on a keyboard which then reads the message aloud. The symbols on the keyboard might be letters, words, or picture symbols.

A communication board can be made out of cardboard, wood, or another solid surface. Typically it has a grid on it with two or more symbols. The symbols can be concrete, such as actual objects or parts of objects; pictorial, such as photographs or drawings; alphabet symbols in print or braille; or words in print or braille. When using a communication board, a child can express herself by pointing to the symbol, picture, letters, or words that convey what she wants to share.

Sign language refers to signs made with one or both hands that have a specific meaning and may represent words or ideas. American Sign Language is most commonly used, but there are other systems. Signs can be recognized visually or tactilely by making the signs in the receiver's hand.