Feeling isolated or alone can be devastating to your advocacy efforts. Intentional or not, many professionals utilize the strategy of ‘isolation’ to buy themselves time to ensure they act in the best interest of the entity they represent…Not the best interest of your child.
Here are some examples of this tactic being used:
Professional to Parent or Advocate-
- Hmm, we’ve never had this situation before. I’ll look into it and someone will get back to you.
- Hmm, that’s strange. You’re the only one who has ever had this issue.
- We’ll be discussing this in a meeting (ie – without you!).
Perhaps you haven’t noticed these dynamics. Maybe you haven’t experienced similar situations yet. In any event, I believe this strategy is specifically important to discuss, because when parents feel at a loss successful advocacy is near impossible.
If you feel alone you do not feel – hopeful, empowered, focused and positive, instead you may feel helpless, tired-out, confused and frustrated. From what vantage point would you prefer advocating?
To overcome isolation you can simply remind yourself that you are not alone and certainly not the first or last personto deal with the issue at hand (of course there are exceptions to everything).
That relief may or may not be enough, so it is wise to connect with as many people that use the same entity as you.
If your child attends school, network with other parents. If your child is in a job training program, network with other participants and so on. This way you’ll be reminded that you’re not alone and benefit from additional support and encouragement.
Good Luck in Your Advocacy -Remember, You’re not alone in your efforts!
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