Teaching Self-Advocacy for Disability Rights to Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Through a Behavior Skills Training Approach

Self-advocacy is the ability to effectively support one’s own rights. If individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are not provided with specific training regarding their rights, they may not be able to effectively advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy consists of four specific components, including: 1) Knowledge of Self; 2) Knowledge of Rights; 3) Communication; and 4) Leadership. Limited self-advocacy research has focused on Knowledge of Rights and developing teaching procedures to educate individuals with IDD on their disability rights. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a self-advocacy training designed to teach disability rights in an employment setting. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants, 9 students with IDD participated in a video-based behavior skills training to learn their disability Accommodation Rights. Prior to intervention, participants displayed variable knowledge of disability rights as evidenced by performance on a video assessment of scenarios of rights violations and non-violations. Following intervention, 8 of the 9 participants increased correct responding on the video assessment. Six participants required additional supports (e.g., feedback and/or booster sessions) to enhance accuracy, while 1 participant was excluded from the study. The implications of these findings are discussed.