Self-determination is your ability to take responsibility for your own life. It involves knowing who you are and who you want to be. In this section you will learn how to self-advocate and represent your own views, interests, needs, and desires in work and school settings.
A self determined person is a person who can speak up for themselves, set goals for their life, make choices, understand options and required supports, solve problems, and evaluate outcomes. Knowledge is power. To have control of your life it is important to make informed decisions by understanding all of the relevant information and weighing the positives and negatives of the choice.
An important decision to make in work and school settings is whether or not to disclose your diagnosis. Disclosure is a personal decision that belongs solely to the individual. In order to receive accommodations in these settings a certain degree of disclosure is necessary.
Take a look at the skills listed under the umbrella of self-determination. By the end of this section, you will have the tools to practice and build these skills for yourself.
Self-determination
- Setting long-term and short-term goals
- Achieving goals
- Making informed decisions independently
- Making informed decisions with others
- Knowing when to seek help
- Understanding my strengths
- Describing my strengths to others
- Understanding my disability and limitations
- Disclosing (or not) my disability to others
- Describing my disability to others
- Knowing which accommodations are effective in school and at work
| Module 1 | Intro |
|---|---|
| Topic 1 | Think or discuss |
| Topic 2 | Self-questionaire |
| Topic 3 | Self-questionnaire followup |
| Topic 4 | Strengths checklist |
| Module 2 | Setting goals |
| Topic 1 | Module intro - Preview |
| Topic 2 | Looking back |
| Topic 3 | SMART exercise |
| Module 3 | Disclosure |
| Topic 1 | Disclosure - Preview |
| Topic 2 | Take a few moments |
| Topic 3 | To disclose or not to disclose...that is the question! |
| Module 4 | Accommodations |
| Topic 1 | Accommodations - Preview |
| Topic 2 | Who will you disclose to? |
| Topic 3 | How will you disclose? |
| Topic 4 | Exercise |
| Topic 5 | Consider the following scenario: |
| Topic 6 | Write your own statement |
| Topic 7 | Know your rights |
| Topic 8 | Rights and responsibilities |
| Topic 9 | Resources |