KNR 273

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Client AdvocacyProfessional Advancement

• KNR 273

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Advocacy Defined

• Speaking or acting for or on behalf of a person,
  an idea, a principle, a cause or a policy.
• Locke, Myers, Herr, 2001, p. 92
• Advocacy is making a reasoned argument to obtain
  something from those in power.
• Austin, 200, p. 392
• Speaking, writing, and/or acting on behalf of
  sincerely perceived interests of a disadvantaged
  person or group, without conflict of interest.
• Anderson Heyne, 2012, p. 392

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Advocacy Requires

• Passionate desire to see positive change
• Rooted in what group/person wants to achieve
• Not just your personal beliefs
• Sound understanding of issue or idea
• Clear and accurate information
• Willingness to go public, to take a stand
• May take courage
• Anderson Heyne, 2012

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Action Model for Advocacy

• Identification of the problem or needs
• Conduct advocacy homework
• Select advocacy target(s)
• Who has the power to correct the problem?
• Choosing tactics to employ
• Lobbying legislators
• Testifying at a hearing
• Holding a news conference
• Etc.
• Austin, 2009

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Client Advocacy

• What is client advocacy?
• What is self advocacy?
• Why is it important to teach clients to be self
  advocates?
• 5 point activity Self advocacy websites
• Show where to find
• ID site
• Write a summary of each site
• Write how you might use this information with
  clients

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Self Advocacy

• Is when you speak up for yourself and work with
  others to make change happen.
• Is a civil rights movement to empower people with
  disabilities to speak for themselves and stand up
  for their rights and needs.
• Anderson Heyne, 2012

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How can we build self advocacy?

• Knowledge of self
• Know what want, know about own disability
• Knowledge of rights
• ADA, IDEA, steps to redress violations, knowledge
  of resources
• Communication
• How to communicate in meetings groups,
  negotiation, persuasion, compromise,
  assertiveness
• Leadership
• Learning how to function in a group, performing
  duties as part of a team, political lobbying
  skills
• Anderson Heyne, 2012

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How can we build self advocacy?

• Invite PWD to serve on Board of Directors,
  advisory council, resident activity council
• Provide leadership opportunities in programs
• Involve participants in hiring evaluating staff
• Invite local self-advocacy groups to speak
• Include modules on self advocacy in leisure
  education sessions
• Help families learn how to support self advocacy
• Anderson Heyne, 2012

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Professional Advancement

• Why do we have to advocate for our profession?
• How do we do this?

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Professional Organizations

• ATRA
• Midyear meeting on the Hill
• Medicare project/ACA insurance exchanges
• Marketing tool kit
• National Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational
  Therapy Month (Feb.)
• NCTRC
• Why Hire a CTRS
• Why Become a CTRS
• Profiles in Recreation Therapy
• IPRA
• Posters
• DVDs

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What we can do.

• Introduce yourself and say you are a CTRS
• Wear your CTRS pin on your name badge
• Put your CTRS certificate in a frame and hang it
  in your office
• Host a TR month event at your facility
• Send your boss a letter for TR month
• Have a TR connected voice mail message
• Write a news release about your program
• Create a flyer, brochure or web page about your
  program/agency
• Write an article in the agency newsletter
• Make table tents
• Have a rehearsed elevator speech
• Avoid comparing yourself to OT, PT

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What we can do.

• Speak at a local Lions or Rotary Club
• Contact your PTA to present on career day
• Have your mayor proclaim National Therapeutic
  Recreation Month
• Organize a disability awareness event
• Distribute handouts with leisure education
  activities to co-workers
• Write letters to the editor
• TR t-shirts, pins, balloons
• Others Be Creative!!!!

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What we can do.

• Keep bosses and high-level supervisors aware of
  what you are doing ---- share success stories
• Network with other departments in your own agency
• Know EBP and share results
• Respond to professional advocacy efforts
• Write letters to legislators
• Call representatives
• Speak up in meetings