Recognizing the Value of Disability Advocacy

Disability advocacy is acting, speaking, or writing to advance, defend, and uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities. The National Disability Insurance Agency, the Commission, and any NDIS providers who provide assistance or services to individuals with disabilities are not affiliated with a disability advocate. To avoid any conflicts of interest, this is done.

Those with disabilities who face complicated problems, unable to speak out for themselves, or those without family, friends, or peers to provide informal support benefit from advocacy. To ensure that choice and control are maintained, and the person they are helping gets their voice heard, disability advocates can speak out on behalf of themselves, another individual, or a group.

Disability advocacy is crucial because, historically, our institutions and policies have silenced those who are disabled, whether on purpose or accidentally.

Although times are evolving and progressing, many of our society’s processes and rules still need to include other, more diverse perspectives. Disability advocacy is crucial for bridging this divide. It emphasizes giving participants choices and the ability to decide their objectives and supports, but sometimes more is needed.

Independent and acting only in the best interests of the disabled person they are aiding are requirements for a disability advocate. A conflict of interest prevents an advocate from being independent if they or the organization they represent stands to gain financially or otherwise from influencing the advocacy’s results. A support worker assisting a disabled person in resolving a complaint about the disability service that employs the support worker is one example of a circumstance where a conflict of interest may arise.

Once someone takes a stand, change can occur, and many people are currently trying to bring about these improvements. Among the world’s top computer scientists, mathematicians, educators, and futurists is J. Daniel Boomer, a shining example.

Boomer, born with cerebral palsy, did not allow his disability to limit his intelligence or his ability to succeed professionally. Boomer has now established himself as a valued asset in the field.

Boomer worked for eight years on the Oregon State Planning Advisory Council for Persons with Developmental Disabilities after graduating from Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.

While working as a program analyst for the United States Office of Special Education Programs in Washington, DC, where he created administrative databases and programs, he also became the Disability Advocacy Director for the State of New Jersey.

Boomer also held the position of Project Coordinator for a contract with Sacramento State University and the California Department of Education, where he was responsible for program evaluation and student-level data analysis to identify the outcomes of kids in special education. A few years after graduating, he also assumed responsibility for gathering and evaluating follow-up data across California and reporting it to the US Department of Education.

In addition, Boomer accepted a job as a full-time consultant with the California Department of Education’s Special Education Division, where she will work with other people and provide educational leadership for the WorkAbility I project, a school-to-career initiative that aims to help students see themselves as exceptional education professionals.