Merriam-Webster defines advocacy as:
the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal.
Advocacy is something that we, as parents of individuals with Down syndrome, are introduced to as soon as our children are born. What I’ve learned over thirty-some years is that no parent describes advocacy exactly the same way.
Theory: How we define advocacy is based on what kind of change we think is needed and how successful we think we can be in creating that change.
There are all types of actions we can take as advocates. Some are small, everyday things that we may not identify as such like including our children in the community. Some require more effort and planning like working to change legislation. Some involve preparing our children to advocate for themselves.
This month we’ll be participating in the 10th anniversary of the April A2Z Blogging Challenge and exploring the theme of advocacy in the Ds community. We hope you’ll join us and talk about what advocacy means to you.