Advocate or Activist?
I just got back to my office from a very interesting meeting. We were having a workshop to discuss funding for county supported programs in the next fiscal year. The chairman of the commission that protects the rights of the disabled (he's in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down) was giving us a report on what they needed in operating revenue and what they planned to receive from outside donors. He said that their biggest communications challenge (with the community/business owners), and internal struggle, is the "activist vs. advocates" situation.
I've seen this occur in other civil rights/human rights organizations as well. The activists serve a great roll in raising awareness, however they can really damage the credibility of a situation by making unreasonable demands. These outrageous demands (like DVD players for all) can cause a backlash and delay for other reasonable and urgently needed accommodations.