Which approach can help students with disabilities enhance their self-advocacy skills?

Encouraging students with disabilities to express their needs is an essential approach for enhancing their self-advocacy skills. Self-advocacy involves understanding one's own strengths and challenges and being able to communicate one's needs effectively. When students are encouraged to articulate what they require to succeed, it not only builds their confidence but also empowers them to take ownership of their educational experiences. This practice fosters independence and enables them to engage in meaningful interactions with educators and peers about their unique requirements and accommodations.

While providing written resources can be helpful for students, it doesn’t directly involve them in the process of expressing their needs, which is critical for developing self-advocacy. Similarly, requiring students to attend meetings may not effectively teach them to advocate for themselves unless they are given the opportunity and support to articulate their thoughts and concerns during those meetings. Assigning leadership roles can be beneficial, but without the foundational skill of self-expression, students may struggle to fulfill those roles effectively. Thus, encouraging expression of needs is a foundational step in developing strong self-advocacy skills.