Self-advocacy experiences of high school students with specific learning disabilities

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to understand the self-advocacy experiences of high school students with specific learning disabilities. Within this aim, semi structured interview questions were prepared in accordance with the conceptual framework of self-advocacy, which was constituted by Test, Fowler, Wood, Brewer, and Eddy (2005). In this direction, 12 interviews were conducted with six male and six female students, who were between 14 and 17 years old from different types of public high schools in Istanbul, Turkey. The demographic information of the students was obtained from the participating students’ parents via an information form prepared by the researcher. The data were collected from May to the end of September 2019, in six different counseling and research centers (CRCs) and analyzed using the qualitative consensual method. Accordingly, four main themes — knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication, and leadership indicated in the conceptual framework of self-advocacy — were found. Even though the data were actively analyzed, no new theme emerged. According to the findings, the students shared their experiences mostly about ‘knowledge of self’, including their personal strengths, learning strengths and weaknesses, appropriate learning strategies, future goals, and social support resources, yet only seven students were able to define specific learning disabilities. In the light of these findings, implications regarding social justice and human rights are drawn for educators, school counselors, counselors who work at CRCs and policymakers.