What disability advocates do
Disability advocacy may include:
- Providing information to people with disability about their human rights and identifying instances of discrimination
- Assisting people with disability to uphold their rights by speaking with and writing to people and organisations to raise awareness of problems and seek solutions
- Helping people with disability negotiate complaints processes or legal action to enforce their human rights
- Writing submissions and lobbying government to make changes that promote and protect the rights of people with disability
- Campaigning for social change by speaking to the media to raise awareness and highlight situations where people with disability are treated unfairly
Disability advocates often require a variety of skills, including:
- Disability awareness, how to communicate with and support people with different disabilities
- Understanding laws, legal instruments and jurisdictions
- Understanding processes within oversight and complaints handling bodies
- Applying a human rights approach to advocacy
- Negotiation skills
- Lobbying and running effective campaigns
Professional disability advocates often develop these skills through in-house customised training within disability advocacy organisations, or through a range of community-based short training programs.
Disability advocacy is not:
- Providing counselling
- Making decisions for another person
- Providing mediation
- Providing case management
Advocates can speak out for themselves or for others who are at risk of being disadvantaged or treated improperly as a result of a disability. This can include missing out on jobs or services, being pressured to make a decision or choice, or being abused or neglected.