Do you call yourself an Advocate?

Quick question do you call yourself an advocacy? 

If so what’s the meaning of that?

Are you viable within that community that you supposedly support? 

Do you have a strong presence within the media and also online?

Are you easily reachable to assist others in need?

Do you regularly speak out at events or are you on a speaker’s circuit?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then great.

BUT if that is you,

Then how do you go about making sure that others know and are aware of you and your involvement within a disability community for example?

Are you always on hand if say someone is new to say the autism community, are you willing to reach out and engage with them, guide them, mentor them?

Or do you prefer to sit back and wait to be contacted not wanting to put yourself out there and go that extra mile?

Do you involve yourself in local autism issues, are you ready to speak up if an injustice is happening or a news reporter wants your input on something?

Do you have a social media platform where you are cherished and adorned and your followers know that as soon as something occurs, or someone is in need that you are the person that they call upon?

Or it is that you simply just use the word ADVOCATE but actually don’t bother being an active member of the autism network?

Do you prefer to only concern yourself with how your life is operating, you don’t think that you actually owe any other autism person anything and that giving back isn’t something high on your list of priorities and that there’s always someone else ready to step in or up and that you can sit back and watch them enjoy the spotlight whilst you worry about what you’re going to have for dinner or what you might want to take to a BBQ at the weekend. 

I mean why bother putting the word advocate anywhere in a bio section of your profile? 

I guess what I am saying is if you say you’re an advocate you should act on it. 

I for example am a digital media facilitator with Autism West and I give back through my love of creative writing to the young people who attend the social groups.

So the question is what have you done today as an autism advocate that you can feel proud of?

It’s something to think about.