The Meaning of Advocacy: An Introduction to the Principles & Strategies of Advocacy for People with Disability & Families

About the workshop:

Unfortunately people with disability are not offered the same opportunities as others in our community and they regularly need to speak up, or have people speak up for them to get a fair go. Often, families must become advocates because their family member faces rejection, discrimination or low expectations.

This workshop will help people with disability and family members to “find their voice”, stand their ground, and become more effective in influencing what happens in their life, or for their family member.

This workshop, led by two family members with experience in formal and informal advocacy, will introduce participants to the principles and fundamentals of social advocacy. Topics will include Advocacy strategies, pitfalls, how to deal with feelings of emotional vulnerability, and how to stay focused on your best interests, or those of your family member.

About the Presenters:

Jeremy Ward is a parent whose eldest daughter lived with disability and required support to live in her own home, which she did successfully for over 10 years. Jeremy was instrumental in the establishment of Queensland Advocacy Inc, where he worked for over ten years as an advocate, lawyer and director. He has many years’ experience in disability advocacy, in the law as it relates to people with disabilities, and in assisting families to plan for the future.

Catherine Laherty is a Consultant at CRU. One of Catherine’s brothers has a disability and she is passionate about the rights of people with disability.
She has an interest in collective advocacy and has previously worked in social change organisations that support and advance workers’ rights and human rights

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for people with disability, family members, close friends and allies who take up an unpaid advocacy role, or would like to learn where to begin.

Download the pdf Flyer here (pdf)

Download the Accessible flyer here (word doc)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop you will:

- Understand why people with disability need social advocacy.
- Recognise what to advocate for: inclusion and ‘the good life’ for people with disability.
- Know what common forms of social advocacy there are and what they mean, and understand what may be called advocacy that is not.
- Be able to describe the elements or principles of social advocacy and their importance.
- Look at the costs of advocacy and consider where potential conflicts of interest lie.
- Identify barriers to social advocacy and how to overcome them.
- Develop strategies to support effective advocacy.

About CRU:

For over 30 years, Community Resource Unit has been working across Queensland to help people with disability take control of their lives and take their place in their community.

This event is subsidised by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services through an Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grant.