Purpose <p>The purpose of the study is to characterize the practices of self-advocacy, as well as their impact on family life, among transition-age adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD; i.e., autism, intellectual disability) enrolled in an inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) program. Researchers centered young adult voices, which in academic discourse have been traditionally marginalized in favor of centering voices of parents.</p> Methods <p>Focus groups with participants (<i>n</i> = 29) elicited perspectives on programmatic elements, practices of self-advocacy, and student-parent relationships.</p> Results <p>Findings highlighted student perspectives that: (1) caring for yourself and speaking up/standing up for yourself are both practices of self-advocacy; (2) understanding their own roles and context, self-confidence, and the openness of the person they were self-advocating to may serve as facilitators or barriers to self-advocacy; (3) parents have a role in introducing and reinforcing self-advocacy skills for young adults; and (4) relationships with their families changed during involvement in the IPSE program, with some reporting use of self-advocacy skills as a point of conflict with their parents.</p> Conclusion <p>Young adults with IDD report unique practices of self-advocacy such that they include caring for oneself as self-advocacy. Centering their voices may help inform how to best support their transition to independence and facilitate self-advocacy on small (e.g., with family and peers) and large (e.g., with organizations and policy) scales.</p>

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Practices of Self-Advocacy and Their Implications From the Perspectives of Transition-Age, Young Adults With Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities

  • K. M. Schmarder,
  • D. B. Axelrod,
  • R. Agarwal,
  • J. A. Sangoi,
  • E. M. Jaisle,
  • K. Mulet,
  • L. R. Sabates,
  • A. R. Laird,
  • E. D. Musser

摘要

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to characterize the practices of self-advocacy, as well as their impact on family life, among transition-age adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD; i.e., autism, intellectual disability) enrolled in an inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) program. Researchers centered young adult voices, which in academic discourse have been traditionally marginalized in favor of centering voices of parents.

Methods

Focus groups with participants (n = 29) elicited perspectives on programmatic elements, practices of self-advocacy, and student-parent relationships.

Results

Findings highlighted student perspectives that: (1) caring for yourself and speaking up/standing up for yourself are both practices of self-advocacy; (2) understanding their own roles and context, self-confidence, and the openness of the person they were self-advocating to may serve as facilitators or barriers to self-advocacy; (3) parents have a role in introducing and reinforcing self-advocacy skills for young adults; and (4) relationships with their families changed during involvement in the IPSE program, with some reporting use of self-advocacy skills as a point of conflict with their parents.

Conclusion

Young adults with IDD report unique practices of self-advocacy such that they include caring for oneself as self-advocacy. Centering their voices may help inform how to best support their transition to independence and facilitate self-advocacy on small (e.g., with family and peers) and large (e.g., with organizations and policy) scales.