Why Are You a Self-Advocate Today?

[SARN Memo for August 5, 2009]

Many of us learned to be self-advocates from our elders. Maybe we come from families in which our parents advocated for us. They worked hard to get us what we need. As we grew, it was natural for us to fight for ourselves.

It’s the same the world over. Below is a short story from Vladimir, a young man from Serbia. He now works to advance rights for people with disabilities.

1. Vladimir’s Story
2. Group Activity
3. Resource

• Respond to this memo!

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1. Vladimir’s Story

(as told to Kelly Lee, Advocating Change Together, in a March 2009 conference in Saudi Arabia)

My name is Vladimir Jouk. I come from Serbia, a small country in SE Europe. Now I’m residing in Chicago, Illinois for the last five years.

But I will tell you a little bit about my life in Serbia.

I was born and raised in Belgrade, which is the capital. It’s a large city. In Serbia, disabled kids would usually go to special schools for their schooling.

And special schools have a lot of problems because they are segregated. They are just for students with disabilities. They don’t provide the same level of education as a mainstream school. However, my family did not accept that as a standard. They fought strongly. At the end of the day, I went to a mainstream school. I finished primary school and secondary school in mainstream setting in Belgrade.

Then I went to the University, where a second major life event happened for me. I wasn’t socializing much with disabled people. There were not so many people with disabilities in mainstream life. They were all in institutions. I did have several friends from rehab centers. But basically, disabled people were not as visible on the streets.

Then I went to a large international conference for young people with disabilities in Malta. I realized that I wanted to dedicate all my life to the disabled people’s movement and to promote human rights both internationally and locally in Serbia. And soon I found a youth group in Belgrade. We started to work to fight for rights for young people with disabilities. So we had many successes. We built ramps. We made many buildings fully accessible. We provided scholarships for students.

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2. Group Activity

Have someone read Vladimir’s story aloud. Talk about how he had parents fighting for him and how he then grew up to work for rights for himself and others. Then go around and let each member talk about who has fought for him or her, and how he or she acts as a self-advocate now.

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3. Resource

Step by Step
Like Vladimir, you, too, can work with others to create change in your community. Follow the six-step process outlined in this kit and you will succeed!

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