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Speaking on Self-Advocacy

Atif Deen, a board member of the Youth As Self Advocate (YASA), spoke about his experiences, challenges, and tips on speaking up for his disability. This was the first guest speaker on the SPAN Youth Chat. Deen's advice to never give up and to speak up for their concerns. Having fears and concerns about your future is normal, but the first step is finding your support team (parents, guardians, teachers, or therapists.

He has fought for his right to a fair and equitable education. After facing several obstacles, and shunned after voicing concerns. He now has the accommodations that were possible with his persistence and the support of his team. The SPAN YouTube channel will feature other youth and young adults like Atif who have self-advocated for themselves. 

Do you have any questions for Atif Deen? Let us know in the comment section below. If you have any youth, ages 13-26, then join us Wednesday at 3:00 - 3:30 PM for our youth chats. The link is below to register. 

Author,

Jeremy Hayer

Resources:

  1. The SPAN Youth Chat: the-span-youth-chat

  2. Youth As Self Advocates (YASA) web page: https://familyvoices.org/yasa/

  3. Youth-Focused Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGXju3IK5UOWXGDV1Fzfrc2DJuDDqOKTu

  4. Subscribe to SPAN's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPANAdvocacy

  5. Link to SPAN's website: https://spanadvocacy.org/

  6. Link to SPAN’s Youth In the Know Resource Page: Youth in the Know

  7. We’re here for you!  Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726

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