Self Advocacy

About this resource

Sometimes a student needs something and does not say so. This is a short picture story a student can turn like a book, about speaking up for what I need at school, and a set of "I can ask for..." cue cards that give the words: help, a break, a repeat, more time, a quieter spot, a different seat. A practice page and a log make it something a student does, not just something they read.

EVERYTHING INSIDE — 30 pages

• An 8-page picture story, "Speaking Up": one big picture and one short sentence on each page, a "My name" line and one instruction at the top of every page
• The whole story on one black-and-white page, for the photocopier
• 8 "I can ask for..." cue cards in full color, cut apart 4 across and 2 down so each cut is one straight line: help, a break, again, more time, quiet spot, move seats, show me, explain. Each has a picture, a word and a short line the student can say
• The same 8 cue cards in black-and-white ink-saver
• 8 blank cards: the student draws a picture and writes the words on type-in lines
• Practice: What Could I Say? Four everyday school moments with a picture each; the student writes what they could say, then a line for a time of their own
• I Spoke Up: a page of 10 stars to color, one each time the student speaks up
• A how-to page: before the first read, reading it, the cards, practice and stars, what counts on the log, sending it home
• A Speaking-Up Log (20 rows: date, what I needed in your words, card used, asked Y/N, initials)
• A weekly roll-up (8 weeks) with a percent graph
• A filled example: an invented student, one week on the log, three weeks on the roll-up and the cards used across all three
• A family page with six small cards to cut apart and a note home
• A hand-off page so a paraprofessional or another classroom uses the same cards the same way
• A phrase bank: 23 lines in 6 groups (spoken lines for the story and the cards, written starters for the log, the roll-up and the note home)
• A storage and binder label sheet: 12 labels and a spine strip
• Start Here, a contents page with page thumbnails, and a "what's next" back page

The Picture Story

Eight pages, one picture and one sentence each, in plain present-tense words for grades 2-5. Sometimes I need something. My teacher cannot always tell, so I can tell them. Speaking up means saying what I need in a calm voice. I can ask for help, a break, a repeat, more time, a quieter spot or a different seat. It can feel scary, and that is OK. The last page is "I spoke up. Now I can get back to learning." Student pages carry only a name line, one short instruction with a picture, and big pictures and words.

The Cue Cards

Eight pictured cards the student can pick from when they need something. Keep them in a pocket, on a ring or at the desk. Use a blank card for any request that is not printed here.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

It is a fillable PDF: type into the name lines, the log, the roll-up, the family page, the hand-off page and the blank cards, or print and use a pen. It works offline with no account or subscription. It is NOT an editable online slideshow or word-processor document.

Who This Is For

Teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals who want a calm, concrete picture story and cue cards for speaking up, and the families who get the home page.

More In The Collection

This set is in the Visual Supports Collection, alongside Social Story: It's OK to Make a Mistake, Stop-Think-Act Impulse Control Picture Cards and Log, Break Cards for Special Education and Sticker Chart. Free to try first: Visual Supports Starter Set FREE.

Pictures (color pages): Noto Emoji by Google, Apache License 2.0. Pictures (ink-saver pages): Fluent Emoji, Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation, MIT License.