1. Being Your Own Self Advocate A Key to Success in the Field of Healthcare

2. Outline Can’t means Won’t Understanding your disability; Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses How to adapt the healthcare environment to fit your needs Self-advocacy Clinical/ Co-op Experiences How and when to ask for help

3. Can’t Means Won’t Sarah Stonier, June 3 rd 1987. 3 rd year University of New Brunswick, Bathurst Site, Nursing Student Diagnosed in 1997 with Dysgraphia Placed in special SLD program for Jr. High and High School. Accepted into UNB in 2005 with an entrance scholarship

4. Understanding your disability What is your disability? How did you feel when you found out/realised that you had a disability? What have you learned about yourself through living with your disability? Can you describe your disability, to your self, to your friends, to your employer? How have you adapted your life, your home to fit the needs of your disability?

5. StrengthsWeakness What are your strengths? I have a “helicopter” brain I can connect the dots easily I connect well with patients, I’m a good listener What are your weakness? I have poor hand writing, documenting is difficult Working in the OR would be difficult. Keeping count of surgical instruments and sponges is hard.

6. Adapting the Health Care Environment What additional needs for your work environment do you have? What things are you bringing to the environment to help yourself? What do you need your employer to provide?

7. Self-advocacy Step 1: Introducing Yourself Step 2: Explaining your Disability Step 3: Strengths vs. Weaknesses Step 4: Adaptations and accommodations Step 5: Expectations and Accomplishments

8. Clinical/ Co-op Experiences Challenges and difficulties Frustrations Rewards

9. How and When to Ask for Help Ask politely “Please and Thank You” “I” “Me” and “You” statements Ask for help after you’ve tried at least once with no success Ask for help when you’re able to accomplish something, but need help to accomplish it faster due to a deadline.

10. Thank you!!!