Effect of Self-Advocacy
Hi! I am a grad student studying speech-language pathology, and a lot of my courses have focused on the importance of working with patients to develop self-advocacy skills. I’m wondering how you have seen self-advocacy interact with the concept of listening. Have you ever experienced a shift in the way certain people listen to you as a result of your self-advocacy? If so, what did you say/share with the person/group that helped you improve your communication with each other?
Hi kmbb
Yes, self-advocacy is very important. There are too many who talk ABOUT us. But we’re all different, have different luggage and experiences, and different needs. Most don’t want others to fill in our words, but some do. Most stutter on the phone, some don’t at all. And we can’t expect our listener to understand stuttering and to know what we want and need, unless we tell them. So to help your clients to speak for themselves is a great thing to include in therapy. Mind, not everyone is ready yet. It takes self-esteem, allies, time, and even a certain personality to be ready. But when ready: yes! Because when we open up, it takes the elephant out of the room, we can focus on what we’re saying, and the listener can focus on listening, instead of wondering, and maybe adding a lot of fear and old tales to their perceptions. Most of us know what we mean with “the look” when people hear us stutter. Self-advocacy is also needed in school and at work, as teachers and employers probably won’t ask.
I can bring it up when people comment, when I’m giving a presentation, and even hide it in a conversation. Like “last week I was in XX for a stuttering event, and …”. I not only tell people. I have t-shirts and buttons with funny texts. Like my own quote “Sure I stutter, what are you good at” or “What we say is worth repeating”. A listener can start with “the look” when I’m in a block, but after seeing my shirt or button, you can see their faces relax. And sometimes it even opens up to discussions.
So yes, great way to include and practice it together.
keep them talking
Anita