DFI Self Advocacy Toolkit

I recently attended the launch of the Disability Federation of Ireland’s Self Advocacy Toolkit, a resource designed to help organisations set up new self advocacy groups or strengthen the ones they already have. I was part of the advisory group for this project, so it was great to see it all come together.

The toolkit is practical and easy to use. It focuses on supporting people with disabilities to have more of a say in decisions that affect their lives. It’s something that’s needed across a lot of services—real guidance on how to make sure people’s voices are actually being heard and acted on.

Being part of the advisory group meant bringing in lived experience and making sure the toolkit was useful for the people it’s meant to support. I think we managed to strike a balance between being realistic about the challenges and offering clear, helpful steps to improve things.

At the launch, it was good to hear from others who’ve been involved in self advocacy—some for years, some just starting out. There was a strong focus on learning from each other, and on making sure organisations don’t just tick boxes, but actually make space for real, meaningful participation.

If you’d like to hear more about my experience with the project and why self advocacy matters, you can check out this short video from DFI on YouTube:

▶️ Watch here

For me, self advocacy is about making sure people are involved in shaping the services and supports they use every day. This toolkit is a good step toward that.