Austin Carr

I advocate, first of all, for myself. Second of all, to better my community and the world. There's many examples I can think of, but one specific example of when a bathroom door wasn't accessible and I advocated for an automated door for a building that I frequently used prior to the pandemic. Self-advocacy means that you have to speak up for what you need. It's right in the word, you're advocating for yourself and the people around you. I've been advocating for as long as I can remember. But I've been formally advocating since I've been 16.

I learned about self-advocacy probably around when I was 16, from the Youth Leadership Forum and Epic and a few other non-profits. And I just carried that whole word throughout my career and now I'm teaching self-advocacy in various, different ways. I advocate for my program individuals as well when they have a hard time. One of my favorite things about self-advocacy is helping people and by the time we're done helping them, they gain so much confidence. And self-advocacy does leave you feeling empowered and it does put you to the next level.