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What does it really mean to get guardianship?

What are other options to consider?

Guardianship is Not the Only Option:
Supporting Decisions in Adulthood

Want to learn more? Email SDM@cpr-ma.org.

Projects: “Supported Decision-Making: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” &
“Empower and Ability in the Hispanic Community,” funded through grants from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living,
Federal Award No. 93.630.

Thanks to the support of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, CPR has been working with key partners on an initiative designed to increase access to Supported Decision-Making (SDM) in linguistically, ethnically, and culturally diverse communities in Massachusetts.

Do you want to request a FREE training for families on alternatives to guardianship in Massachusetts?  Please email SDM@cpr-ma.org.

March has been a busy month for CPR’s SDM and Racial Equity Initiative team!

• CPR, in partnership with the Black Autism Coalition and Autism 509, shared information about Supported Decision-Making in a Facebook Live session. This session included interpretation for the Haitian Creole community and has been posted to YouTube.
• In partnership with The Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport and Conexiones Latinx-MA, CPR also offered two state-wide training sessions, titled “Guardianship is Not the Only Option: Supporting Decisions in Adulthood.” One session was presented in English, and one was presented in Spanish.   The content of the Zoom sessions was developed with the feedback of focus groups of family members of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state, as well as a project advisory committee of community leaders.

We have been impressed by the response to these trainings.  As participants have said:

Thank you so much . . . We have learned so much.

Comment on Facebook Live Session on March 14, 2024

Thank you so much for putting together this training.  It was informative and inspiring!

Comment about Webinar on March 21, 2024

Muchas gracias

Comment about Webinar on March 28, 2024

Do you want to request a training for families on alternatives to guardianship in Massachusetts?  Do you know of any groups that would be interested in learning more?  We are here to help!  Please email SDM@cpr-ma.org to make a training request.

 

 

Are you a family member of a person with intellectual or developmental disabilities?  Do you want to learn more about ways to support youth and young adults with decision-making about their lives?

FREE Trainings for Families
Guardianship is Not the Only Option: Supporting Decisions in Adulthood

The Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport, Conexiones Latinx-MA, and the Center for Public Representation are collaborating on these two training sessions. These Zoom trainings will help empower families and people with disabilities through education and information about all the options, including Supported Decision-Making.

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (in English)

Thursday, March 28, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (en Español)

REGISTER – English and Español.

If you would like to request accommodations or interpretation, please contact Rowan DeAza at rowan.deaza@thearcofghn.org or 978-373-0552, ext. 216.

“Empower and Ability in the Hispanic Community” & “Supported Decision-Making: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” funded through grants from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Federal Award No. 93.630.

 

The Center for Public Representation is working with other members of the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-making (MASDM) Coalition to advocate for passage of legislation that would create a legal framework for SDM across the Commonwealth.  A legislative deadline is fast approaching in early February.  We urge you to support this effort by taking action now.

As MASDM co-chair, Jonathan Gardner, said in a recent news article: “SDM has allowed me to practice and strengthen my decision-making skills and learn self-advocacy . . . But until SDM legislation is passed in Massachusetts, I have no guarantee that my decisions will be respected.”  Legislatures in at least 19 other States and the District of Columbia have already passed similar legislation.  We urge Massachusetts to join them.

Please contact the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities (for the Senate bill, S. 109) and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary (for the House bill, H. 1485) to ensure the bills go to vote.

On September 18, 2023, CPR and a coalition of diverse advocates testified in favor of Senate Bill 109, which would establish a legal framework for Supported Decision-Making (SDM) in Massachusetts. To learn more about the bill and its companion, House Bill 1485, see the bill fact sheet.

My SDM team has supported me with my health care. . . SDM is important to me. . . In the end, my voice matters!

Amanda Jo Benoit, SDM Pilot Participant

As showcased in the testimony of Morgan Whitlatch, CPR’s Director of SDM Initiatives, at least 24 states and the District of Columbia have already passed statutes that formally recognize SDM agreements and/or require courts to consider SDM as a less-restrictive option before appointing a guardian.  Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine are among these states, and we strongly urge Massachusetts to join them.  Michael Kendrick, CPR’s Senior Advisor on SDM Initiatives, focused his written testimony on CPR’s experience with piloting SDM with key partners, including Nonotuck Resource Associates and others, and the benefits we have seen the practice have in people’s lives.

CPR testified alongside other members of the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) Coalition, including people with disabilities and their supporters who talked about how SDM can transform lives.

” I have witnessed Supported Decision-Making, and I’ve seen the transformative power of it . . . It’s time for people with disabilities’ voices to be heard.”

Maggy Walto, Supporter in SDM Pilot

Two participants in the SDM pilots in Massachusetts prepared videos for the hearing to share their powerful stories.

Cory Carlotto, SDM Pilot Participant

James Cowell, SDM Pilot Participant

Please join us in supporting these important SDM bills, so that more Massachusetts residents can access and enforce this decision-making model.

 

On August 15, 2023, CPR submitted written comments to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to modernize the implementing regulations of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA).

In its comments, CPR applauded ACL for including provisions recognizing the importance of promoting less-restrictive alternatives to guardianship, including Supported Decision-Making (SDM).  CPR also offered suggestions for improving the regulations, including further limiting the circumstances under which area agencies on aging (AAAs) can provide legal assistance to petitioners seeking guardianship.  In addition, CPR recommended funding for initiatives that advance alternatives to guardianship through proactive outreach, training, legal assistance, and innovation projects aimed at older adults, including those that improve access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).  These comments built upon the recommendations made in the 2022 law review article on SDM and older adults, which CPR co-authored to inform the deliberations of the Fourth National Guardianship Summit.

CPR was joined in these comments by key partners, including CommunicationFIRST, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, the National Disability Rights Network, and Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities.

The Center for Public Representation (CPR) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) to address gaps in the adoption of Supported Decision-Making (SDM) across the state.  Under this grant, CPR will focus on making SDM more available to linguistically, ethnically, and culturally diverse communities and intentionally integrating its Racial Equity Initiative into its SDM work.  CPR will be:

• Developing an SDM training module and toolkit specifically designed for and vetted by people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families within underrepresented and underserved populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
• Involving self-advocates and family members as subject matter experts and trainers.
• Piloting a culturally and linguistically competent training via two distinct and complementary strategies, including joint county-based forums with judges who have expressed interest in advancing SDM with CPR, as well as targeted outreach to family support centers funded by the Department on Developmental Services (DDS) and Massachusetts Interagency Transition Teams that serve diverse communities.
• Supporting and facilitating regular reconvening of MDDC’s guardianship work group, known as the Guardianship Alternatives Innovation Network (GAIN), to ensure collaboration with and input from diverse community members, including self-advocates, family members, guardians, and local and state advocacy organizations.

CPR will also providing technical assistance to MDDC’s peer-run training program in its efforts to develop an SDM training program for people with IDD, utilizing CPR’s decades worth of experience in advancing alternatives to guardianship, SDM, and self-determination of people with disabilities.

For more information or any questions, please contact Morgan K. Whitlatch, CPR’s Director of Supported Decision-Making Initiatives, at mwhitlatch@cpr-ma.org.

 

Access pdf of Press Release

On March 30, 2023, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on Guardianship and Alternatives: Protection and Empowerment.  In preparation for that hearing, the Committee sought public input, stories, and recommendations for reform related to guardianship, conservatorship, and other protective arrangements. CPR shared this request throughout the Protection and Advocacy network and the broader community interested in advancing alternatives to guardianship, including Supported Decision-Making.  The Committee ultimately received over 300 statements from 41 states and territories – all of which will be entered into the Congressional record of the hearing.

CPR submitted its own comment and recommendations for promoting Supported Decision-Making and dismantling pipelines to guardianship.  CPR also supported seven Massachusetts Supported Decision-Making pilot participants who wanted to share their stories and submitted their own statements to the Committee.  In addition, CPR led the effort of members of the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities to submit a joint statement, further highlighting the need for reforms that go beyond improving judicial processes and that divert people from guardianship court systems and towards less-restrictive options.

REMINDER – Apply today!  The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is seeking applications for more State Teams to join our Community of Practice. If you are part of a team that wants to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual or developmental disabilities in your state, read our FAQ and consider applying today. Applications are due by 8 PM ET/5 PT on February 24, 2023.

Want to Learn More?

UPDATE – Want to learn more?  – We are holding an optional informational session.  CYVYC staff and representatives from current State Teams and Youth Ambassadors will be there to answer your questions about the application and this project.  Please join us!

• When? –  Thursday, February 9, 2 – 3 PM ET.
• Where? – Zoom: https://communityinclusion.zoom.us/j/98790940949

The informational session webinar will have captioning and will be recorded and available for future viewing on the CYVYC website.