What Is Advocacy?

What Is Advocacy?

As some of you know I work at my dream job. I get paid to help families with a member with a disability. I have gotten paid to do this for 25 years. I have used my skills with my own children and now grandchildren for 32 years.  I get every question under the sun about disability which is good.

People call me saying they need an advocate. After talking to them for a few minutes it becomes apparent they want someone to make calls and go to meetings for them. I try to explain to the people who call me that it is not good for them or their children if I do that. They get angry - at first. 

I explain how everyone will start reacting to me and not them. I explain how my doing it for them robs them of the experience and sense of accomplishment of doing it themselves. They still don't believe me until they do what I am coaching them to do. 

Then the excitement!! They know what is like and they own the skill! It would be so easy for me to make the calls or go to the meeting for them. I like being the savior for them. It is like mainlining adrenaline.  It probably isn't good for me AND it isn't fair to them.

Just my two cents, 

Mylinda