Self-Advocacy in Communication Centers

Abstract

The mission of university communication centers is to help all students succeed, and part of this mission is helping students with disabilities. The first component of helping students with disabilities within communication centers is to check that communication centers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, compliance with the ADA alone will not give communication centers the resources and guidelines they need to fully empower students with disabilities. Communication centers must be proactive in helping students with disabilities take full advantage of their college education. This paper will explain why communication centers are uniquely positioned to help students with disabilities by teaching them to self-advocate. Given that self-advocacy is a form of communication, communication center staff are well-qualified to help students with disabilities learn self-advocacy, thus helping them receive the accommodations they are entitled to.