What is a Self Advocacy Group?
Self advocacy groups are led by people with disability, who work together to speak up, take action, and make change on issues that affect their lives.
Self Advocacy Groups are member led.
This means people with disability make the decisions, not a service.
What do Self Advocacy Group members do?
Self Advocacy Group members work together to:
Speak up, advocate and campaign for disability rights issues to make changes for the disability community
Share their expert knowledge with government, organisations and the community about issues that affect them
Build each others self advocacy skills and knowledge of their rights
Support each other and make friends with peers
Have a stronger voice together that is listened to and valued
Self Advocates say “Our voices are stronger together!”
Governments and organisations say they want to hear from people with disability in consultations, reviews and advisory groups.
Self Advocacy Groups are an important way for governments and organisations to hear from groups of people with disability.
For example: If the government needs to hear from DeafBlind people about an issue, they can talk to DeafBlind Victoria, a Self Advocacy Organisation run by and for people who are DeafBlind.
How do I join a Self Advocacy Group?
There are lots of different Self Advocacy Groups in Australia.
Click the button below to learn about them.
