Purpose: To explore the experience of belonging to a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities, and how membership of such a group impacts on individual members. Methods: Eight people with intellectual disabilities, who belonged to a self-advocacy group for at least 6 months, were interviewed about their experiences of…

In this article, we describe the identities of U.S. suburban high school students as they attempt to ensure their "market relevance" in a neoliberal era. The data are drawn from a four-year ethnographic study of the construction of educational advantage conducted by a diverse five-person research team. These identities were characterized by strong…

This theoretical article suggests that advocacy "by" children promotes their resilience and positive self-conception. The psychological benefits of such advocacy by the child are distinguished from mental health interventions where the child is generally viewed as a passive participant and "deficient" in critical ways. Evidence is presented…

This article presents a research-based strategy for helping students with disabilities develop self-advocacy skills. Steps in the ASSERT process include: awareness of disability, state disability, state strengths and limitations, evaluate problem and solutions, role play solution, and try it in the real setting. Activities for each step are…

This article chronicles the struggles of a student who is profoundly deaf and his relationship with a home tutor. His rejection of offered traditional supports (such as hearing aids, employment, placement in a community college) are discussed, along with the contributions of the disability movement in shaping his view of himself as…

Explores special issues in counseling highly gifted students, including feelings of isolation, fear and guilt for being different, irritation with the pace of school, and other concerns. Offers guidelines for introducing such children to the subculture of intellectual achievement and how they can be effective self-advocates within the educational…

This article describes a course developed at Lesley College (Massachusetts) to help students with learning disabilities accept their disability and develop self-understanding and self-advocacy skills. It describes the course model and major tenets, highlights some course components, and summarizes results of a study of the course's impact. (DB)

A study investigated the responses of 22 high school students with learning disabilities to an intervention intended to promote self-realization. Activities were embedded within the general English curriculum. Through the intervention, students acquired information that helped them make sense of their school experiences, redefine themselves, and…

A study involving 94 typical college freshmen, 32 college athletes, and 30 students with learning disabilities (LD) found several students with LD reported possible intrinsic processing weaknesses. Students with LD also self-reported difficulties that would affect their ability to engage in self-advocacy through communication, self-awareness, and…

Thirty-three college students with learning disabilities responded to a request to identify their learning disability. The responses were then coded and a summary of the professional diagnoses of the learning disabilities was added to the students' self-descriptions. Five authorities in the field of learning disabilities were asked to use a…

This report discusses findings from a study that investigated the effectiveness of a student's improved self-knowledge of his or her specific learning disabilities in achieving academic success and improved self-advocacy skills. Forty-four general and special education faculty members and para-educators, and 13 ninth-grade students and their…

A case study of a graduate student with language-learning disorders is used to demonstrate the development of self-determination abilities. Academic and communication interventions were used to foster development of the student's self-knowing and self-valuing as the basis for becoming a self-determined individual. The role of the speech-language…

Qualitative narrative inquiry was used to explore identity formation in four gifted college students with learning disabilities. Themes that resulted fell under 2 categories: contextual and personal. Contextual themes that emerged included support systems and involvement in extracurricular activities. Personal themes included self-knowledge,…

Interviews with 15 ninth and tenth grade students with learning disabilities (LD), their parents, and their resource teachers determined that the Self-Advocacy Plan is an effective program clarifying students' perceptions of their roles as learners with LD, increasing their understanding of LD as a condition, and developing awareness of…

The Learning Disabilities Program at Arizona State University stresses development of independence and responsibility, self-advocacy skills, and realistic self-knowledge. Program services and the faculty perspective are described. Recommendations are made to assist learning-disabled students in developing survival skills before entering college.…