Self-Advocacy

Self-advocacy means speaking up for your needs, preferences, and boundaries — especially when the default setup doesn’t support you well.

It might look like:

• Asking for clear written instructions instead of verbal ones
• Letting someone know you need time to process before responding
• Requesting quiet space, flexible hours, or fewer back-to-back meetings
• Challenging a stereotype or assumption
• Saying “no” without guilt, or “yes” on your own terms

For neurodivergent people, self-advocacy can be both powerful and difficult.

You might have grown up:

• Masking your discomfort
• People pleasing to stay safe
• Feeling like your needs were “too much” or “not valid”

So learning to speak up — calmly, clearly, and without apology — can feel huge.

Self-advocacy isn’t selfish. It’s how we build more accessible, respectful spaces — for ourselves and for others who haven’t found their voice yet.

You deserve to be heard.