Self-Advocate

A person with a disability who speaks up for themselves and their rights, makes their own decisions, and works to ensure their voice is heard in matters affecting their life. In the disability rights movement, self-advocates are individuals who participate in advocacy organizations, provide training and education, and work to change systems and policies. Self-advocates with intellectual and developmental disabilities often serve as experts in co-design processes, drawing on lived experience to inform the development of services, technologies, and policies that affect their communities.