Advocacy
Personal Advocacy
Tips
Tips for Daily Self-Advocacy:
1. Figure out and plan in advance what CAN be done to meet communication
needs. As deaf/HOH persons, we are the experts about what we need.
2. Keep it positive: "This is what I can do, and this is how I
expect to do it."
3. Be ready to answer questions such as, "Why don't you do this?” or “Why
would you do that?" Ask for clarification of what the other person is saying
if needed.
4. Be assertive:
1) Make direct eye contact. Speak slowly and respectfully.
2) Explain and give examples.
3) State your concerns, needs, and fears before making demands.
4) Make a point of thanking people for their effort in helping you to
understand.
Common Areas of Self-advocacy:
1. Pick the best spot in meetings, restaurants, homes, and social
situations. Sit with your back toward the light source so that the light
shines on the speaker’s face. This often means changing seating
arrangements.
2. Ask people to give the context first. “Have you seen my keys?” is not as
good as, “Keys. Have you seen mine?”
3. Expect listener fatigue and give yourself breaks.
4. Expect to ask people who talk too fast to slow their speech. Tell people
who talk with their hands in front of their face that you need to see their
lips.
5. Simply stating "I can't hear you" may result in a standstill. Offer tips
on what the person can do, such as, “Please, write it down,” or “I heard you
say, “I need my ________ what?” Then, offer a pad and pen so that the person
can jot down only the missing word.
6. Be prepared to explain to others why your listening skills seem to vary
at times. Point out that it's the nature of being hard of hearing that we
can hear certain sounds, like background noises, but not other sounds such
as some of the sounds used for speaking, and this makes it very hard, but
not impossible to understand conversations.
7. When told to “Never mind” use a counter response, such as, “I expect you
to explain it later when it’s not so noisy.” If it bothers you to be told
“It’s not important” you can respond with “I’d like to be the judge of that,
please.”
Avoiding Common Mistakes:
Mistake #1) Being habitually confrontational, with the mistaken belief that
an "in your face" approach is a position of strength. All that is
accomplished with this tactic is a negative reputation. We cannot let
personal animosity toward certain family members, doctors, audiologists,
administrators and/or supervisors distort our judgment about what is best
and what is realistic to accept. To avoid this mistake, repeat as often as
needed, “I am calm, relaxed, and clear-headed when I advocate for myself or
others.”
Mistake #2) The opposite mistake: trusting others too uncritically; assuming
that because they are hearing loss professionals, they are also competent
and interested in serving our best interest.
Mistake #3) Waiting too long, and then insisting on instant delivery of
needed services.
Mistake #4) Failing to accept that managing our hearing loss often requires
that we educate medical professionals, family members, friends, coworkers,
church elders, and many others about our needs. For us, it's a part of
everyday life.
Mistake # 5) Not documenting issues with employers or service providers.