Lupus Canada Advokit

One Approach to Advocacy

It is not always easy to deal with an agency, organization or government department regarding a benefit or service.

To help with that task, three tools are part of this section:

· An Advocacy Plan, based on a 7-step problem-solving process;
· A Worksheet to use with the plan; and
· A Checklist of things to remember when applying for a service or benefit.

Let's use the step-by-step, common-sense Advocacy Plan to walk through a relatively simple and quite common situation.

Step 1

Define the problem, simply and specifically.

Let's say you live alone, and find you are often too tired to handle the tasks that make for a smooth-running household: shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning.

To pin down the problem, you ask which jobs are the hardest for you. Say you decide the problem is cleaning and laundry.

Step 2

List possible solutions.

• You can let it go until you are strong enough to do it.
• You can ask friends or family to do it for you.
• You can get outside paid help.

Step 3

Collect information for each option.

1. For option 1, you need to decide if you can put up with a messy house and dirty laundry for however long it will take.
   
2. For option 2, you can list the people you're comfortable asking for help.
   
3. You might come up with two approaches to option 3:
   a. Hire someone, or
   b. Look for a service that is free to people with disabilities.

You can call an employment agency to see how much hiring someone would cost, and see if you can afford it. For a free service, you might check with your lupus association, the local public health office, or a community information service for suggestions.

Let's say you learn of a non-profit local agency that operates a Homemakers Service, free to disabled persons if recommended by a doctor.

Step 4

Consider the options and decide.

You decide to look into the Homemakers Service.

Step 5

Consider further actions.

If this is an unfamiliar task, you can use the checklist in this section.

Perhaps the first thing you do is to call the agency to find out who manages the Homemakers Service, and who is entitled to the service.

You may find that you need to apply in person, on certain days of the week, and bring a doctor's recommendation and proof that you live in the community. (You would be wise to write all that down, so you don't forget any of it.)

Step 6

Take action!

You make the appointment and get the documents, plan what you're going to say - it's easier if you think it through beforehand - and go to apply.

There, you find they have a 6-month waiting list. You write that down in your records.

Step 7

You are not willing to wait that long, so you go back to Step 4, and choose another option.

You decide the next best option is to ask a good friend to help.

You think through your best approach (Step 5). Maybe you can offer to do something in exchange, something less exhausting than housework, for example, waiting for a repairman while your friend is at work.

In the end (Step 6), you may be surprised at how willingly your friend agrees to your suggestion.

This process can be applied to a variety of advocacy situations. If and when you would like to try this approach on a situation of your own, print the blank worksheet based on the Advocacy Plan. You can make photocopies of the worksheet, leaving the back of the page blank.

Follow the same seven-step process, step by step, with each situation. Fill in the blanks, using the back of the photocopied worksheet if you run out of space.

You can file completed worksheets as your record, for future reference.