Self-advocacy refers to speaking up for oneself, expressing one’s needs, and defending one’s interests (Test et al., 2005). It is a core component of the broader concept of self-determination, through which individuals live autonomous lives and make decisions independently (Wehmeyer et al., 2003). In the school context of the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland), students with special educational needs (SEN) are expected to become self-advocates to discuss and ensure the implementation of the support they require. However, these skills develop gradually, beginning in early childhood through everyday experiences. Therefore, family involvement is crucial in supporting their acquisition.
Our current research project aims to develop 11 self-advocacy skills for students with SEN. Funded by the Swiss Federal Office for the Equality of People with Disabilities and the University of Teacher Education of the Canton of Vaud, this participatory action research involves families in co-creating materials to be used with their children. Two groups of co-researchers participate: four adolescents and three mothers, collaborating with two researchers. The resulting materials will later be shared through an open-access platform for wider use by families.
This poster presents how we collaboratively conceptualized and designed agentic materials (Snaza et al., 2016), enabling families to engage in “series of situations” (Dewey, 1998) that, through lived experience, can transform both individuals and their environments. We will describe the iterative work cycles with co-researchers and families that led to the co-construction and adaptation of multimodal learning materials, as well as examples of the resources that emerged from this creative and participatory process.