An advocate speaks, acts or writes on behalf of a disadvantaged person or group with minimal conflict of interest to promote, protect and defend the welfare and justice of the person or group.
There are six broad categories of advocacy.
- Citizen advocacy: people with disability are matched with volunteers.
- Family advocacy: parents and family members are assisted to advocate on behalf of the person with a disability for a particular issue.
- Individual advocacy: works on upholding the rights of individual people with a disability by targeting discrimination, abuse and neglect.
- Legal advocacy: works on upholding the rights and interests of individual people with disability by targeting the legal aspects of discrimination, abuse and neglect.
- Self-advocacy: supports people with disability to advocate for themselves, or as a group.
- Systemic advocacy: seeks to remove barriers and address discrimination to ensure the rightsof people with disability.
Victorian Advocacy groups include:
- Action for More Independence and Dignity in Accommodation
- Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities Inc
- Association for Children with a Disability (VIC) Inc
- Association of Employees with Disability Inc (AED Legal)
- Barwon Disability Resource Council Inc (Assert 4 All)
- Blind Citizens Australia
- Citizen Advocacy Sunbury & Districts Inc
- Colac Otway Region Advocacy Service
- Communication Rights Australia
- Disability Advocacy & Information Service
- Disability Justice Advocacy
- Disability Resources Centre Inc
- Gippsland Disability Advocacy Inc
- Grampians Disability Advocacy Association
- Leadership Plus
- Melbourne East Disability Advocacy
- North – East Citizen Advocacy
- Rights Information and Advocacy Centre Inc
- Southern Disability Advocacy
- Southwest Advocacy Association
- Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability Inc. (VALID Inc.)
- Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council
- Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service
- Youth Disability Advocacy Service
