Self-Advocacy Toolkit
Access the Toolkit
As a DFI member, you get exclusive access to the full Self-Advocacy Toolkit. Below, you’ll find an Overview and Resource 1, available to everyone. If you are a member, simply follow this link Advocacy Toolkit Request to unlock the full toolkit.
Not a member yet? Find out how to join DFI and gain full access to this and other valuable resources!
Overview and our Self-Advocacy Guide for Organisations
We’ve made two resources available to everyone so you can get started on your self-advocacy journey. The Overview is an introduction and a short guide to using the full toolkit.
The DFI Self-Advocacy Guide for Organisations is a step-by-step resource designed to help organisations establish, support, and sustain self-advocacy groups for people with disabilities.
It provides practical tools, checklists, and real-world examples to create environments where self-advocates can confidently express their needs, influence policies, and drive meaningful change.
Download Overview and Resource 1 here:
Key sections include:
- Understanding Self-Advocacy: Explains its importance in promoting independence, decision-making, and inclusion.
- Types of Advocacy: Covers self-advocacy, peer, group, citizen, and professional advocacy.
- Setting Up a Self-Advocacy Group: Offers a structured approach, including planning, member recruitment, goal setting, and facilitation tips.
- Practical Tools: Provides meeting agendas, facilitator guides, and checklists to track progress and ensure engagement.
- Real-World Impact: Showcases case studies, like Sarah’s story, where self-advocacy led to tangible community improvements.
- Alignment with Policies: Connects self-advocacy to UNCRPD, HIQA, New Directions, and national disability strategies, ensuring that advocacy efforts contribute to broader systemic change.
Members-Only Access
To access the full DFI Self-Advocacy Toolkit, including practical guides, case studies, and templates, please follow this link Advocacy Toolkit Request.
Not a DFI member? Join today to unlock exclusive resources, support, and advocacy tools.
For any questions or support, contact us at toolkit@disability-federation.ie.
About the DFI Self-Advocacy Toolkit
The toolkit contains a suite of practical resources for people with disabilities, front-line workers and organisations to organise and create change. It promotes citizen engagement, participatory decision-making, and community inclusion, ensuring that people with disabilities have a meaningful voice in shaping the policies and services that affect them. The toolkit has been piloted and tested by self-advocates and front-line workers across five regions.
Why This Toolkit Matters
- Empowers Individuals – Supports informed decision-making and independence.
- Strengthens Systems – Enhances healthcare, education, and employment accessibility.
- Bridges the Gap – Transforms UNCRPD commitments into real-world action.
- Supports Policymakers & Service Providers – Embeds structured advocacy approaches into daily practice.
Dr Caroline Winstanley is part of the DFI Self-Advocacy Advisory Group. She attended the launch of DFI's Self-Advocacy Toolkit in April 2025 and spoke to us about the importance of getting started in advocacy and the voices of lived experience.
John Fulham is the Public Engagement Manager at the Irish Wheelchair Association and a member of DFI's Self-Advocacy Advisory Group. He spoke to us at the launch of DFI's Self-Advocacy Toolkit about the importance of Self-Advocacy and how he envisions the toolkit being used.