Self advocacy is a term used across many sectors—disability, mental health, health and hospitals, youth and justice.

Advocacy means speaking up for a person’s needs and wishes.

Self advocacy means the ‘self’—an individual person—doing their own advocacy. This might be for:

• more independent living

• fair treatment by friends, family, carers and workers

• fair treatment by the government.

Self advocacy is also a political movement. This means that self advocacy is about challenging who has power. It’s also about working alongside other self advocates.

You can learn more about self advocacy at the Voices Together website.