self advocacy, Uncategorized

Good life comes with self-advocacy

by Iva and Julie

How can self-advocacy influence well-being of people with intellectual disability: international program of research

Easy Read report

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since you heard from us.

This is because:

  • Iva was in Europe
  • Julie was ill

But we are back now.

  • and we have a lot to share with you.

Today we want to talk about our

  • ongoing self-advocacy and wellbeing research work

Well-being is about

  • how you feel about your life
  • how good it is

Here is a link to a research brief about it:https://www.unsw.edu.au/content/dam/pdfs/unsw-adobe-websites/arts-design-architecture/education/research/project-briefs/2022-07-06-ada-impact-of-self-advocacy-on-the-well-being-of-people-with-intellectual-disability.pdf

There are researchers from different countries that we work with.

Our team is from:

  • University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia
  • Open University (Milton Keynes), United Kingdom

We want to understand how self-advocacy

  • helps against discrimination
  • supports inclusion of people with intellectual disability

We did 2 studies

  1. We read articles about
  • self-advocacy
  • how it helps well-being

2. We talked to 54 self-advocates in Australia and the United Kingdom

  • 26 women
  • 28 men

To do this, we used something called the ‘dynamic model of wellbeing.’

This model shows us that having a good life is about different things.

It is about your:

  • physical and mental health
  • confidence and self-esteem

  • social life – things like work
    • work
    • money
    • relationships

What we found out in our studies

Self advocacy

  • improves how people feel about themselves and their live
  • helps people have more self-esteem
  • helps people to learn new things
  • helps people to speak up for themselves
  • helps people celebrate their strengths

supports peple to connect to the wider community.

Why is this important?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2006) says people with disabilities have rights to

  • active participation and inclusion in the community

168 countries in the world signed this.

Who is doing this Research?

  • Iva Strnadová

Professor of Special Education at the University of New South Wales

  • Liz Tilley

Senior Lecturer & Associate head of school in Health and Social Care United Kingdom

  • Joanne Danker

Lecturer in Special education at the University of New South Wales

  • Julie Loblinzk

Adjunct lecturer, Self Advocate in NSW

  • Michelle Tso

PhD student in special education at the University of New South Wales

What is next?

Open University is doing research to look at who pays for self-advocacy and why.

For more information about this, email

Iva

  • i.strnadova@unsw.edu.au