ADVOCACY IS:

1. Helping people to help themselves
2. Building confidence and fostering independence
3. Supporting decisions and actions
4. Informing people of their rights and helping to see that they get what they are entitled to
5. Problem analysis and identification of possible options
6. Training and technical assistance
7. Identification of services and referral to agencies
8. Lobbying for needed legislation
9. Ensuring that legislation is properly implemented
10. Organizing for change and initiating new services
11. Investigation and follow-up on grievances/complaints
12. Following established process, including court/conciliation when all else fails
13. Grouping people for mutual support and action
14. A partnership, with sharing of information, tasks and action
15. Using direct intercession only when people are unable to help themselves

ADVOCACY IS NOT:

1. Taking over, making all decisions, undermining efforts in self-help
2. Creating dependence and helplessness
3. Keeping people uninformed of their rights
4. Discouraging individual action
5. Excusing/accepting unavailable or inadequate services
6. Making decisions for people of controlling them
7. Encouraging people to accept unacceptable service’s
8. Saying “There’s nothing I can do.”
9. Avoiding political action
10. Accepting poor implementation of legislation
11. Avoiding linkage with others
12. Avoiding reported problems and not seeking solutions
13. Misuse of accepted process
14. Working in an individual basis when the problem affects a group of people
15. Doing for people instead of teaching them to do for themselves