Project Description:
Self-Advocacy Online is an educational and networking website in development for teens and adults with intellectual and related cognitive disabilities, targeted at those who participate in organized "self-advocacy" groups and activities in the United States. Self-Advocacy is a social and civil rights movement by people with disabilities to speak up for themselves and make their own decisions. Self-Advocacy represents a large, structured network of learners who possess unique challenges, including limitations in attention, memory, generalization, and motivation and self-direction. Academic limitations include low reading levels, poor spelling abilities, and low general language skills. For the vast majority of self-advocates, the Internet is an untapped resource for learning and collaborating.
Self-Advocacy Online translates important issues for persons with intellectual and related cognitive disabilities to understandable and entertaining interactive lessons and information while connecting individuals and groups to a larger group of learners. Too often, self-advocacy groups work in isolation. Although most groups benefit from support from a parent organization, with support staff and office resources (e.g., meeting space, computers), they are not connected to other groups and know little about current issues in self-advocacy outside of their geographic area. Accordingly, Self-Advocacy Online will provide a hub for individuals and groups to collaborate and share ideas, while providing necessary computer literacy skills in the process.
Too often, self-advocacy groups work in isolation. Although most groups benefit from
support from a parent organization, with support staff and office resources (e.g., meeting
space, computers), they are not connected to other groups and know little about current
issues in self-advocacy outside of their geographic area. In order to alleviate this
situation, we are proposing to expand the development of a website titled Self-Advocacy
Online that will serve to provide a hub for individuals and groups to collaborate and share
their ideas, while at the same time providing the necessary computer literacy skills for
academic and job success.
The design of Self-Advocacy Online is media-rich, highly intuitive, and user-friendly for
persons with a range of learning disabilities. Photographs and audio options will appear
on every page, allowing users with moderately new computers to access information and
navigate the website without need for reading. Information on current topics in self-advocacy will be presented as interactive slide shows, with users seeing and hearing information that is current and representative of real-life scenarios. Short videos and animations will also be used to illustrate concepts in self-advocacy, from personal testimonials and interviews to "how to" training areas and documentary scenes from important events.
Visit the Self-Advocacy Online Web site at: http://www.selfadvocacyonline.org.
Keyword(s):
self-advocacy, internet, web, online learning, social networking
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas
