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.
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is delighted to announce its selection of three additional State Teams to join its national Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Nineteen teams from 15 States and the District of Columbia applied. The quality of the applications was excellent and revealed a deep interest in and commitment to Supported Decision-Making and its importance in the lives of transition-aged youth.
After an extensive selection process, CYVYC has chosen State Teams from Arizona, California, and Texas to join our existing Community of Practice. Each of the State Teams will be co-led by a youth with I/DD who is 14 to 26 years old. The organizations co-leading the efforts of these newly selected State Teams include:
Welcome to the State Teams from Arizona, California, and Texas!
Under a five-year grant from the U.S. Administration on Community Living, CYVYC provides extensive technical assistance to State Teams to promote alternatives to guardianship, so that fewer youth with I/DD have legal guardians. The Community of Practice – now comprised of 11 State Teams – fosters a rich dialogue around best practices, supports long-term change, and centers the voices of youth leaders in its work. The Community of Practice members work together to create lasting systemic reform in their states and support Youth Ambassadors to be leaders for change.
We look forward to collaborating with these new State Teams in advancing the decision-making rights, self-determination, and leadership of youth with I/DD.
Cathy Costanzo, Executive Director of the Center for Public Representation
“Ensuring this next generation of youth is front and center in all levels of this work is key to the success and lasting impact of this national initiative.”
The CYVYC Community of Practice Selection Committee was comprised of a Youth Ambassador, a member of its Youth Advisory Committee, a representative from its National Coalition, and CYVYC staff, including representatives from the Institute for Community Inclusion, CPR, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and the Georgia Advocacy Office.
Contacts:
Morgan Whitlatch, Director of Supported Decision-Making Initiatives, Center for Public Representation, mwhitlatch@cpr-ma.org, 202-596-6116
Allison Cohen Hall, CYVYC Project Director, Institution for Community Inclusion, hall@umb.edu, 480-677-9677
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!
We are excited to announce that the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is now accepting the final round of applications from State Teams interested in joining its Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States.
CYVYC is a national resource center that was founded in Fall of 2020 through a five-year grant from the Administration on Community Living. CPR currently provides technical assistance to eight State Teams from Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Our Community of Practice fosters a rich dialogue around best practices, provides a framework of sustainable change, and centers the voice of youth leaders in its work. We are seeking to recruit 3 additional State Teams to be part of our Community of Practice and to supportYouth Ambassadors in those states to be leaders for change.
Are you part of a team that wants to promote alternatives to guardianship in your state? If the answer is yes, apply today for CYVYC’s Community of Practice. For more information, please check out this FAQ sheet with more information on CYVYC and the application process.
Applications due by 5:00 PM PST on February 24, 2023
If you have any questions about the application process or need any accommodations, please contact Morgan Whitlatch, mwhitlatch@cpr-ma.org, 202-596-6116.
The first article explains how SDM has transformed the lives of many individuals with disabilities who participated in SDM pilot programs, including those led by CPR in Massachusetts and Georgia, and it outlines the key principles necessary for successful replication.
The second article describes how SDM can be used to help older adults retain or regain their legal decision-making rights, and it includes recommendations for how to make SDM more accessible to that population.
Both articles were drafted to inform the deliberations at the Fourth National Guardianship Conference, which resulted in key recommendations for promoting SDM.
The Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) and countless advocates have been working hard to get these important bills passed. We need your help! Learn more about these bills and our Call to Action here.
I am 19 years old … Fighting cancer has been one of the hardest journeys of my life … A law would make it easier for people to have supporters with them anywhere they need them … I fully trust my team, but I want to make choices for my own life, and this law would protect that process.
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is delighted to announce its selection of five additional State Teams to join its national Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Twenty-five teams from 21 States and territories applied. The quality of the applications was excellent and revealed a deep interest in and commitment to Supported Decision-Making and its importance in the lives of transition-aged youth.
After an extensive selection process, CYVYC has chosen State Teams from Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and South Carolina to join our existing Community of Practice. Each of the State Teams will be co-led by a youth with I/DD who is 14 to 26 years old. The organizations co-leading the efforts of these newly selected State Teams include:
Congratulations to the newly selected State Teams from: Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and South Carolina!
Under a five-year grant from the U.S. Administration on Community Living, CYVYC provides extensive technical assistance to State Teams to promote alternatives to guardianship, so that fewer youth with I/DD have legal guardians. The Community of Practice fosters a rich dialogue around best practices, supports long-term change, and centers the voices of youth leaders in its work. Community of Practice members work together to create lasting systemic reform in their states and support Youth Ambassadors to be leaders for change.
“We look forward to welcoming these new State Teams into the fold. At the core of our work is a deep commitment not only to expand this important work to more states, but to do so in a way that ensures the leadership of youth with I/DD is front and center.”
Cathy Costanzo, Executive Director of CPR, which facilitates the CYVYC Community of Practice
The CYVYC Community of Practice Selection Committee was comprised of a Youth Ambassador, a member of its Youth Advisory Committee, a representative from its National Coalition, and CYVYC staff, including representatives from the Institute for Community Inclusion, the Center for Public Representation (CPR), Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and the Georgia Advocacy Office. CYVYC plans to solicit applications for a third cohort of State Teams next year.
Contacts:
Morgan Whitlatch, Director of Supported Decision-Making Initiatives, Center for Public Representation, mwhitlatch@cpr-ma.org, 202-596-6116
Allison Hall, CYVYC Project Director, Institution for Community Inclusion, hall@umb.edu, 480-677-9677
We are excited to announce that the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is now accepting applications from teams interested in participating in our Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States.
CYVYC is a national resource center that was founded in the Fall of 2020 through a grant from the Administration on Community Living. During the course of this five-year grant, we are supporting State Teams to promote alternatives to guardianship, so that fewer youth with IDD have legal guardians. We are currently seeking to recruit 4 new State Teams to be part of our Community of Practice and to support Youth Ambassadorsin those states to be leaders for change.
Are you part of a team that is promoting alternatives to guardianship in your state? If the answer is yes, apply today for CYVYC’s Community of Practice. Our Community of Practice fosters a rich dialogue around best practices, provides a framework for sustainable change, and centers the voices of youth leaders in this work. Community of Practice members work in partnership with us to create lasting systemic change in their states.
CLOSED – This application period closed on February 10, 2022.
STAY TUNED! – The next Call for Applications will be announced in early 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact Morgan Whitlatch, mwhitlatch@cpr-ma.org, 202-596-6116.
(Left to right, bottom row) Morgan Whitlatch (CPR), Ellen Taverna (The Arc of Massachusetts), Paul Lanzikos (not pictured) (Dignity Alliance Massachusetts). ()Left to right, top row) Anna Krieger (Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council), Jennifer Honig (Massachusetts Association for Mental Health)
CPR testified alongside other members of the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) Coalition, as well as people with disabilities and their supporters who talked about how SDM can transform lives.
(Left to right) Sandra Heller (Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council and Supporter in CPR SDM Pilot), Nancy Gardner (Supporter), Jonathan Gardner (Decision-Maker)
“SDM makes me feel involved with my life and choosing how and when I will be getting my treatments. I can let my body and voice guide me with the support of my Mom and Dad. I don’t have many choices when it comes to have Cancer, but at least I can control when and how we do it.” – Jonathan Gardner, 18 years old.
Malia Windrow-Carlotto (Supporter in CPR/Nonotuck Pilot)
“Cory has flourished since he started using Supported Decision-Making. . . . He is currently living in his own apartment, has traveled the country with friends, and is now working full-time . . . I could not be prouder.”– Malia Windrow-Carlotto, Supporter in SDM Pilot Project (CPR/Nonotuck)
In the past year, I have gone through some major health changes . . ., and I leaned on my SDM Team to help me understand what was happening to me and what the doctors were saying. [They] helped me through each step.Amanda Benoit, SDM Pilot Participant (written testimony)
. . . I was the first person in Massachusetts to have my guardianship relinquished for the Supported Decision-Making Model. This moment was very special, because I felt my own freedom for the first time.”Cory Carlotto, SDM Pilot Participant (written testimony)
My SDM Team has helped me so much in achieving my dreams . . . I was happy to advocate for SDM, because it helps people with disabilities keep their voice and make the final decisions in things with support from a team, if needed.Jimmy Cowell, SDM Pilot Participant (written testimony)
SDM brings people together. It brings families closer. Service providers are more involved, more aware of the participant and closer to the family. But most importantly, the participants grow, have control of their lives and experience love, pride, joy and happiness.
My SDM Team helps me grow in my skills, such as with my banking, making health decisions at doctors and dentist appointments, and buying healthy food choices. My SDM Team is very important to me, and I trust them.
Amanda knows who is in her life and who she trusts. She is also capable of making decisions . . . Amanda [gets] moral support from her SDM Team, one-on-one discussions, conversations going over the pros and cons, and getting info on the big picture of the decision.
