Th ~ Relationship Between Self-Advocacy and Self-Concept Among College Students with Disabilities

For many years, the profession of social work has grappled with defining and operationalizing the concept of advocacy. A review of social work literature, spanning a 25 year period from 1965 to 1990, reveals 18 different definitions and a wide range of conceptualizations of advocacy. The definitions indicate a broad scope of behaviors, roles, and methods for the advocate. Included in the literature is a wealth of information on the technical aspects of advocacy such as how it is done, when it is done, and with whom. As with the literature related to the definition of advocacy, there is little empirical data supporting the ideas of what one does to advocate and how the practitioner functions as an advocate