Abstract
My name is Askia Adams and, in this article, I share my perspective and experience with research and advocacy. I have recently started a job as a researcher, and I am learning a lot about how research and advocacy complement each other. It’s exciting to be able to learn new research skills. It has been challenging to start as a researcher. I’ve been working on learning the tools I need to be a researcher. There is a lot to learn and a lot of skills to develop. My team supports me in many ways, which I describe in the article. It is crucial to have self-advocate involvement in research because the research affects our lives and we have unique insights from our lived experience. For years, we have been left out of the design of research. When self-advocates are involved, the research is going to be more meaningful to people with disabilities.