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Get to the Core of it: Individual Advocacy

A National Webinar/Teleconference

Presented by: Greg Jones & Brad Brooks

WednesdayJune 9, 2010

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

CIL-NET Presents…

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Get to the Core of it: Individual Advocacy

A National Webinar/Teleconference

Presented by: Greg Jones & Brad Brooks

WednesdayJune 9, 2010

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

CIL-NET Presents…

33

Introduction

People with disabilities experience wide range of barriers that can present in any arena that involves simply “living free”

These barriers include a wide array of bureaucracies, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, HUD or any other state federal system

What follows is what works for our CUSTOMERS

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Overview of Program at SKIL

Customers!!!! Listen, Listen, Listen! Listen? Empathy is essential Build trust and understanding Research the problem

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Overview of Program at SKIL, cont’d.

Prepare Execute Build “Believify” “Dreamify”

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Systems Knowledge

Precursor to individual advocacy– Awareness is key

Examples– Know all systems involved– Understand the workings and complexities

of bureaucracies– Know someone within each bureaucracy– Go Country? Get to know folks.

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Show Empathy

Empathy: “the ability to imagine oneself in another’s place and understand the other’s feelings, desires, ideas, and actions”, or “seeing a situation through someone else’s eyes”.

Be human Be a peer Feel the pain Feel the anxiety Feel the crisis

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Build Mutual Trust

Be a friend Don’t “over-professionalize” Remove intimidation factors Interact with other customers or co-

workers as you prepare to act with a new customer

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Research the Problem

Research at SKIL– Online– Manual– Know somebody– Relationships, relationships, relationships?

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Prepare for Visit with Customer

Go retail Go Country Go Charlie Olson

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Execute

Get what the customer needs? Get what the customer wants -- neither

is your decision! Politically correct Stomp on toes

Got questions?

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Questions & Answers

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Behind the Scenes at SKIL

Relationships! Relationships! Relationships?

Each person at SKIL builds and maintains relationships with important contacts

Let co-workers do what they do best. You do the rest.

Focus on trust and integrity

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Behind the Scenes at SKIL, cont’d. Unwritten expectation is to be

accountable and own your mistakes

Excuses to the customer: Unacceptable

Apologies: On the mark Be responsible. Learn how to

Apologize.

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Get in the Mud or go off the Cliff

You must provide support You may be the only support available You expect customers to follow your

lead, but learn how to follow your customers

It may be difficult; you may have to get aggressive.

Example

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Hand Holding to Freedom

“I’ll do that with you and/or for you” It might take baby steps, but you help

your customers let go Barrier is that sometimes it’s quicker

to do it for the customer rather than with

Draw a map to freedom Example

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Empowering self-advocates

Nurture one-on-one relationships Introduce them to the network Hand holding Nudge folks to increased

responsibilities Congratulations are in order Recognitions

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People First, Paper Last

Open door policy– Confusing, chaotic, not orderly, its real, it’s

our culture Center should be a safe place for all

people Be accessible to customers Trust the Network – do not design the

network Allow the Network to grow Be a link

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Don’t be afraid to get burned or embarrassed

People will take advantage of your good nature

Try not to be judgmental Leave your personal morals and

judgment at the door Be available beyond the norm Trust the network

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“Believify”

You must believe in the abilities of the customer to succeed

Do not question. Just believe. Blind faith.

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“Dreamify”

Everybody has dreams Never steal anyone’s dreams Body completes the picture the mind

paints

Got questions?

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Questions & Answers

Wrap Up and Evaluation

Click the link below now to complete an evaluation of today’s program found at:https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/12291g452ae

CIL-NET

Support for development of this Webinar/teleconference was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration under grant number H132B070002-09. No official endorsement of the Department of Education should be inferred. Permission is granted for duplication of any portion of this PowerPoint presentation, providing that the following credit is given to the project: Developed as part of the CIL-NET, a program of the IL NET, an ILRU/NCIL/APRIL National Training and Technical Assistance Project.