People have told us they're using our sisterly banter to start conversations with others (family, friends, and even in classrooms), so Black created "Conversation Starters".
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I never really thought about self-advocacy until Black brought it up in a conversation about “advocacy,”
and, even then, I wasn’t sure what she meant. But after she explained it’s speaking up for yourself and your needs, my
first thought was how that might be OK for others; for me, it totally goes
against my nature. Black might be able
to toot her own horn, but I’m definitely more reserved. (There’s an
understatement!) Until I realized that I
was creating roadblocks in my
mind that didn’t need to be there. OK, maybe I’d need some practice, including how best to communicate my
message, but even I could potentially become a self-advocate.
In fact, I realized my daughters were already self-advocates. For example, my older daughter, Natasha, has learning challenges (Black calls them “DIFF-abilities”, meaning she has different abilities) and in high school learned to self-advocate by asking for accommodations. While my younger daughter, Sawyer, was a good student so in high school was put on a college prep track; until she self-advocated to be allowed to take some CTE (career and technical education) classes. I was merely in attendance at these meetings yet saw the power of recognizing your strengths and/or weaknesses and respectfully stating what you need and why. |
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Red’s other default setting is thinking she cannot do
something until she tries it and realizes she can. It is similar to when she thought she could not
“do” personal finance until she was forced to, and lo-and-behold, she could. As
with any skill – with practice and preparation (think of it as building your
case), it becomes easier. I will admit that I never stopped to think about the importance and power of self-advocacy, as my entire life I have always been a self-advocate, although it was only recently that I learned there was a (nice) term to describe assertively speaking up for yourself. Since I have always focused on where I wanted to be in the future and worked backward, I would identify what I needed to get there. In the workplace, I kept a file where I accumulated examples of my skills and strengths and would look at any potential “shortcomings” as opportunities to learn something new. And, if I needed help from others, respectfully communicated that need to the appropriate people. |
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THE CONVERSATION STARTERS
- What does self-advocacy mean to you? Do you think you could be a self-advocate? If so, for what? And why?
- Why should you learn to advocate for yourself?
- What are the potential benefits of advocating for yourself? What are the possible risks?
- List three of your successes/accomplishments (in the workplace or your personal life). What strengths or skills do they demonstrate?
People have told us they're using our sisterly banter to start conversations with others (family, friends, and even in classrooms), so Black created "Conversation Starters".
Not only is Christmas less than a week away, but so is Chanukah (the first night is on Christmas Day). And although we wrote this Conversation Starter years ago, we seem to have this same conversation every year.
| I can't believe how quickly the holidays are flying by. On one hand, all I want to do is enjoy them as I love this time of year. But I can't because there always seems so much to do. And I'm afraid that if I don't do everything on my holiday "to-do" list, I'll disappoint people, including me. You don't have this problem as you don't have kids and you live alone, plus others aren't looking to you to make the holidays festive and memorable. |
| You seem to start with your "to-do" list, whereas I think about the significance of the holiday and what will make it meaningful and memorable. Yes, it is a more pragmatic approach, but it makes the planning so much easier. You know that I dislike the over-commercialization of holidays, but it does provide a reminder that it is important to let others know how much you appreciate them. |
THE CONVERSATION STARTERS
- What's most important to you during the holidays? Why?
- Describe your "perfect" (yet realistic) holiday celebration. What it would take to make it come true?
- If you celebrate with others, have you ever discussed what's important to them?
P.S. – Since this is being posted in the midst of
the December holiday season (what Red refers to as the "silly season"), you
might be interested in these recent posts:
People have told us they're using our sisterly banter to start conversations with others (family, friends, and even in classrooms), so Black created "Conversation Starters".
Health literacy is more than just reading a prescription label or following a doctor’s instructions; it’s understanding our health – from basic information to making choices that support our well-being. And October is Health Literacy Month, although it may take more than a month to figure it out.
But if it makes you feel any better – Red found the term “health literacy” both intimidating and boring, while Black thought it was off-putting …
| As a mom, over the years, I've had to become familiar with various
children's health issues and basic
healthcare (and don't get me started on health insurance). But whenever it was something more than the common
cold or flu, a stomach ache, or the usual scrapes and bruises, I felt like I
was back in school. And between the
terminology and trying to understand how the body works, I often felt like I
needed a nursing degree. Not to mention,
there's so much information on the internet, it can be overwhelming as well as confusing
and sometimes scary.
Over the years, I've also had to deal with my aging parent's more serious health issues, and I've lost count of the pages of notes I've taken and questions I've asked. Or the conversations discussing risks vs. benefits that I've had with medical professionals and my sister. (I'm glad Black finds statistics "fun" and can look at them unemotionally because they give me a headache.) |
| Until recently, I had never heard the term "health literacy," and when I
first did, I initially thought about general literacy skills such as the
ability to read and understand numbers. Skills that are essential if you are sick and need health information
and services, but also impact health decisions that should be simple, like filling
out forms, taking over-the-counter drugs (aspirin, cold and flu remedies, etc.),
and learning about the things we should (or should not) do to live a healthier life
and reduce the chances of serious illness.
But then, I thought about how anytime I had to deal with a health issue, especially ones that could potentially be serious, it was a tedious, complicated, and technical challenge. And, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I like to consider myself well-read, pragmatic, and comfortable with numbers and research documents. In other words, although it impacts some people more than others, the issue of "health literacy" affects us all. (And, that does not even address what it does to the cost of healthcare.) |
THE CONVERSATION STARTERS
- Before now, have you ever thought about "health literacy"? How would you describe it? What impact does it have on your life? How can it impact your ability to be successful in the workplace?
- Why do health and healthcare topics seem so daunting?
- Does health literacy only impact you when you are facing health issues? Explain your answer.
- Have you ever had a medical situation or condition that required you to learn more about it? Where did you seek information? Did you have any problems learning about it? Explain your answers.