Self-Advocacy and Community Advocacy Amongst Youths with Disabilities

The ability to advocate for oneself and one’s community requires skills, practice, and opportunities. For youth with disabilities, self-advocacy is a skill they will need throughout their lives to enhance access to necessary services and supports. Community-level advocacy is also essential to promote structural and policy changes. In this chapter, we explore the function and importance of self-advocacy and community advocacy, as well as the need for strategies that engage youth with disabilities in building advocacy skills. Included is a practical example of our Youth Engagement Strategy that provides opportunities for youth to build and practice advocacy skills. We conclude the chapter by underpinning global benefits of self- and community advocacy for youth with disabilities.