Students with disabilities need to develop increasing skills in self-advocacy. Goals in this area may address:
- Learning options and learning how to apply options in response to questions or conversations that are too intrusive or rude.
- Learning how to take increasing responsibility for medical care and mobility
- Learning how and when to ask for help or to bring difficulties to the attention of adults.
- Learning about one’s condition and how to explain it to others with increasing levels of sophistication.
- Learning how to problem solve, report problems and suggest solutions to barriers.
- Learning about role models, service providers, and specialized equipment that may enhance quality of life.
- Learning about laws impacting individuals with disabilities
- Exploring careers and employment opportunities
- Exploring transition to vocational opportunities or college supports for persons with disabilities such as vocational rehabilitation funding and scholarships.
In the US, laws about students with disabilities emphasize the primary option to educate the student in the general classroom rather than in a special education classroom whenever possible. Other countries may favor specialized schools for specific disabilities. Parents are encouraged to know about school laws that impact students with disabilities. In the US, laws are increasingly stricter about those students who have special accommodations being expected to show the same level of achievement in testing in order to eventually receive their high school diploma. Those students who do not meet these standards receive an alternate diploma or certificate of attendance that does not qualify as a high school diploma for the purposes of work or college.