<p>Sometimes there is are good reason to advocate at an institution/school for your children, after they’ve tried it on their own and got nowhere. Institutions use the " we are fostering independence in your child" clause, so that they can do what they like in their own fiefdoms. There are many circumstances which require more experienced people to assist and there are always exceptions to some circumstances. As adults, we cannot always successfully advocate for our needs. I see no issue teaching kids to advocate for themselves, but as much as institutions claim to want students to develop these skills, I find they easily deny reasonable requests when students advocate alone. My student had a disability all through school and no matter how many times she explained it to teachers, many were refused to accommodate and were ignorant. We almost always had to have the school nurse involved in educating teachers and getting the school administration involved. Sorry…sometimes parents have to drive a large snowplow!</p>