Advocacy

Supporting People with I/DD to Make Their Own Decisions

Breakout Session Presenter(s)

• 

  Shawn Ullman

  Senior Director, National Initiatives
  The Arc of the United States

Breakout Session Co-Presenter(s)

• 

  Morgan Whitlatch

  Legal Director
  Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities

Being able to make your own decisions about your own life is one of the most important rights that people have. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have the same right to make decisions about their lives as people without disabilities. However, their ability to make their own decisions is often questioned by teachers, doctors, family members, and others. People with I/DD are at an increased risk of losing their right to make their own decisions by being placed under guardianship, a topic that was recently examined by the National Council on Disability in a groundbreaking report. This session will talk about some of the risks and barriers to people with I/DD making their own decisions, including the school-to-guardianship pipeline, assumptions about a person’s abilities based on their diagnosis, and fear of letting people with I/DD make mistakes. We will also discuss ways that families and professionals can take a more balanced approach to protecting people with I/DD from vulnerability, while also protecting people’s right to make their own decisions.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the continuum of ways that people make decisions, including supported decision-making and guardianship.
• Identify some of the risks and barriers to people with I/DD making their own decisions.
• Describe practical ways to support and educate people with I/DD and their families about alternatives to guardianship.