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Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy is a sign of maturity and a necessity
for adulthood.
Decisions
Decisions are sometimes scary to make and involve
some degree of risk. Practice making small decisions for yourself, like how
you will dress or what you will have for dinner, and build to the bigger
ones, like where you will live and what jobs you will accept.
Young people with disabilities:
Learn to speak for yourself by clearly telling people your needs. Start
making choices for yourself and ask for support from important people in your
life whenever you are unsure. Learn about your disability and be able to tell
people what it is and what kinds of help you will need. Start collecting
information on adult service agencies, and set up goals for yourself of what
you want to be doing in the next 2 to 5 years. Ask the adults in your life to
help you learn to be as responsible and independent as you can be.
Parents and families:
Start giving your young adult more social, household, and financial
responsibility. Consider opening a checking account and providing an
allowance to develop responsible of budgeting, saving, and spending.
Encourage your young adult to make choices and accept the responsibility for
choices. Use your community resources, like supermarkets, department stores,
and recreation facilities, as training grounds for independent living skills.
Investigate the use of public transportation and get appropriate supports
from adult service agencies when possible. Attend workshops on assertiveness
and advocacy training.
Resource:
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