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Home Accessing Accessibility: How to Self-Advocate as a Disabled Individual

Accessing Accessibility: How to Self-Advocate as a Disabled Individual

Type

Workshop

When

Sat, 3:00pm–4:00pm

Event

  • Chicago 2026

Headshot of Sarah Todd Hammer. She is sitting outside, wearing a black dress with a baby pink jacket. Her long blonde hair is worn down, and she is smiling at the camera.

As someone who has lived with my physical disability for 16 years, and who relies on strangers, friends, and/or family members for help every day, I have become quite comfortable advocating for myself. 

However, it has taken me lots of practice getting to where I am today.

Self-advocacy can be unfamiliar territory, causing anxiety and resulting in us not getting our access needs met. Nobody deserves to face this struggle.

On my social media, I shared a video demonstrating how I advocate for myself when flying. The video garnered a combined 11 million views. Many viewers commented on how helpful it was to have a demonstration of a script, tone, and demeanor for self-advocacy. 

So, I am hosting a workshop focused specifically on self-advocacy to help alleviate anxiety by providing a space to build confidence and ask questions.

During this workshop, we will:

1. Deconstruct why self-advocacy is so intimidating

2. Develop self-advocacy scripts 

3. Engage in Q&A

If you are disabled and you find yourself:

1. Feeling anxious or unsure of what to say when self-advocating

2. Avoiding situations in which you may need to self-advocate

…this workshop is for you!