Advocacy Tool Kit - BrainLine

1 Rev 10/7/2008 Produced by Disability Rights Wisconsin. Reprinted with permission. Advocacy tool Kit Skills and Strategies for Effective Self and Peer Advocacy Produced by Disability Rights Wisconsin Madison Office: 131 W. Wilson St., Suite 700 Madison, WI 53703 Voice: 608-267-0214 Fax: 608-267-0368 TTY: 888-758-6049 For consumers and their families: 800-928-8778 milwaukee Office: Summit Place 6737 W. Washington Street, #3230 milwaukee , WI 53214 Voice: 414-773-4646 Fax: 414-773-4647 TTY: 888-758-6049 For consumers and their families: 800-708-3034 Rice Lake Office 801 Hammond Ave.

2 Rice Lake, WI 54868 Voice: 715-736-1232 Fax: 715-736-1252 TTY: 888-758-6049 For consumers and their families: 877-338-3724 Web site: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Advocacy tool Kit was modified in 2007 to use as a training tool for people with disabilities, their families and friends to help build and support strong Advocacy skills. Special thanks are given to those who participated in the process to reform the tool Kit including Alicia Sidman, Mark Sweet, and Dianne Greenley from Disability Rights Wisconsin, and Chari Haglin from the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, as well as the members of the Long-Term Support Subcommittee of the Brain Injury Advisory Council.

3 This Advocacy tool Kit was originally developed in cooperation with the New Partnerships for Woman Project of Madison, WI in 2002, an ad hoc collaborative work group whose members gave willingly of their time and expertise in the original development of Advocacy tool Kit. The Work Group s members included Jessica Barton, New Partnerships for Women; Mary Blondin; Molly Cisco, Grassroots Empowerment Project; Beth Forsythe; Dianne Greenley, Disability Rights Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy ); Heather Hazelwood, New Partnerships for Women; Barb Hennings; Lori Luebke; Ellen Magee, Catholic Charities; Peggy Michaelis, Mental Health Center of Dane County; Jolanda Sallmann, New Partnerships for Women; and Mary Thornton.

4 The tool Kit was compiled by Amy Judy and the layout was designed by Dee Finnegan, Advocate Media. The convening of the Self-and Peer Advocacy Curriculum Work Group and publication of this Advocacy tool Kit and the 2007 revisions have been supported by the Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) with funding from the Bureau of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Division of Disability and Elder Services, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the DHFS.

5 For more information on additional copies of the Advocacy tool Kit or other resources from the Community Mental Health Protection and Advocacy project, please visit DRW s web site located at or contact DRW by telephone at 608-267-0214 (voice) or 888-758-6049 (TTY), and request a brochure of available resource materials and videos. COPYING ITEMS CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL Many of the articles contained within this Advocacy tool Kit have a copyright and are noted as such with the copyright symbol ( ). Disability Rights Wisconsin has received permission to reprint the copyrighted articles and include them within this Advocacy tool Kit.

6 Reproduction of copyrighted materials is prohibited without permission from the author; however, you may copy the portions of this Kit that are not copyrighted. To assist you, the following marks (###) will appear at the end of every copyrighted article. For non-copyrighted material please credit Disability Rights Wisconsin whenever copies are made. Disability Rights Wisconsin, 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .. 1 BUILDING AN Advocacy STRATEGY .. 3 Informal Advocacy Plan Step by Step .. 4 Informal Advocacy Plan.

7 13 INFORMAL Advocacy SKILLS .. 17 How to be an Effective Advocate .. 17 Documentation and Taking Notes .. 19 Advocacy on the Telephone .. 21 Contact List Worksheet .. 27 Telephone Log Worksheet .. 29 Advocacy in Writing .. 31 Advocacy in Person .. 36 More on Negotiation as a tool for Change .. 42 Bureaucratic Tactics of Avoidance .. 48 FORMAL Advocacy STRATEGIES .. 53 Formal Advocacy Strategies.

8 53 More information about Grievance Procedures, Agency Complaint Processes, Fair Hearings and Court Proceedings .. 57 Additional Advocacy Strategies .. 63 Formal Advocacy Plan .. 67 PEER Advocacy .. 71 Understanding Your Role as a Peer Advocate .. 71 Peer Advocacy Blueprint for Success .. 72 Peer Advocacy Ground Rules Worksheet .. 75 Do s and Don ts of Peer Advocacy .. 79 Ways to resolve a Dispute .. 80 COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

9 83 Intentional Communication .. 83 More Communication Tips .. 98 SELF AWARENESS .. 103 Being an Expert on Yourself .. 103 Believing in Yourself .. 106 Self Disclosure as a Stigma-Buster .. 107 Self Awareness tool .. 109 Reflecting on what you learned in the Self-Awareness Exercise .. 113 EMOTIONAL SELF-CARE .. 115 Presents to Give Yourself .. 119 Boundaries.

10 119 Patients, Perseverance and Sustenance: Self Advocacy for the Long Haul .. 121 TOOLBOX .. 121 Additional Advocacy Information .. 122 Scenarios to Practice Self- and Peer Advocacy Skills .. 122 Where to File a Complaint .. 132 Glossary .. 144 Resources .. 152 Additional Legal Information .. 191 Legal Basics .. 191 Legal Rights .. 197 Legal Research The Basics.