It is important to know you are not alone; barriers to equity have long histories and one person cannot dismantle them. Challenging oppression means building relationships that heal and equipping people with the tools and understandings needed to take a stance about who they are in collaboration with others.

The purpose of this online school setting functioning skills assessment is to determine the likelihood of student success in the online school setting based on specific online functioning skills. Target skills were selected from over six years of observational, qualitative and quantitative data in an online school setting. Students who have strong online functioning skills appear to be more successful in the online school setting according to the data. This assessment form can be used by students to self assess, and/or by a student's parents, administrators and teachers in collaboration. The from consists of ten questions based on the most important functioning skills and behaviors needed in order have the best chance of success in an online setting. Participants are asked to answer on a 1-4 rubric resulting in a Total Score in order to determine the likelihood of success online. Assessment data is expected to be used to drive student interventions including teacher instruction of functioning skills, student self assessment, and ongoing progress monitoring. While this was created for Special Education Students, it can be used for any student or adult who is engaged in online learning.

The purpose of this online school setting functioning skills assessment is to determine the likelihood of student success in the online school setting based on specific online functioning skills. Target skills were selected from over six years of observational, qualitative and quantitative data in an online school setting. Students who have strong online functioning skills appear to be more successful in the online school setting according to the data. This assessment form can be used by students to self assess, and/or by a student's parents, administrators and teachers in collaboration. The from consists of ten questions based on the most important functioning skills and behaviors needed in order have the best chance of success in an online setting. Participants are asked to answer on a 1-4 rubric resulting in a Total Score in order to determine the likelihood of success online. Assessment data is expected to be used to drive student interventions including teacher instruction of functioning skills, student self assessment, and ongoing progress monitoring. While this was created for Special Education Students, it can be used for any student or adult who is engaged in online learning.

Self-advocacy is a challenging task because it requires us to be vulnerable and express what is most important to us, often at the risk of negative consequences or backlash. This activity helps students to learn self-advocacy through storytelling. 

Self-advocacy is the ability to articulate one’s needs and make informed decisions about the support necessary to meet those needs. It includes four important elements: knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication skills, and leadership skills. For people with one or more disabilities, including those who are deaf, increases in self-advocacy skills contribute to increased quality of life, sense of agency, and overall well-being.1

Self-advocacy is a lifelong endeavor and can never be learned too early or too late in life. Practicing self-advocacy is a critical element of the self-advocacy developmental process, and people who practice are better prepared to self-advocate in the future.

Self-advocacy involves identifying your needs and affirming your rights, finding information for yourself, seeking the support you need, and constructively expressing your needs and rights to those who can help with the fruition of your interests. Self-advocacy is a life skill that is developed with practice in an encouraging environment.