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La tutela no es la única opción – Recursos y Formularios (March 28, 2024)

by Conexiones Latinx-MA & Center for Public Representation

También compartiremos con usted un folleto con enlaces útiles a formularios y recursos relacionados con estas opciones, para que pueda hacerse una idea de cómo son y cómo funcionan.

Proyectos: “Empoderamiento y Capacidad en la Comunidad Hispana” y “Apoyo a la Toma de Decisiones: Diversidad, Equidad e Inclusión.”  Financiado a través de una subvención del Consejo de Discapacidades del Desarrollo de Massachusetts, EE. UU. Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos, Administración para la Vida Comunitaria, Adjudicación Federal No. 93.630.

 

Visit resource: La tutela no es la única opción – Recursos y Formularios

Video

Omar’s Journey with Supported Decision-Making (March 21, 2024)

by Center for Public Representation & Conexiones Latinx-MA

This is a video is about a young man named Omar and his journey with Supported Decision-Making.  Omar identifies as a person with a disability. In this video, Omar talks about why Supported Decision-Making is important to him and how he uses it.  He also offers advice to parents on how to support their loved ones with decision-making. This is Omar’s journey and just one example of how someone might use Supported Decision-Making.

This video was developed as part of a training initiative, “Supported Decision-Making: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” and “Empower and Ability in the Hispanic Community,” funded in part through a grant from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Federal Award No. 93.630.

Visit resource: Omar’s Journey with Supported Decision-Making

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Guardianship is Not the Only Option – Resources & Forms for Massachusetts Families (March 21, 2024)

by Center for Public Representation & Conexiones Latinx-MA

We want families and people with disabilities in Massachusetts to know about all their options for decision-making support in adulthood, so they can find the right fit for them.  This handout providers useful links to forms and resources related to alternatives to guardianship in education, health care, and finances.  It is also available in Spanish.

This handout was developed as part of a training initiative, “Supported Decision-Making: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” and “Empower and Ability in the Hispanic Community,” funded in part through a grant from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Federal Award No. 93.630.

Visit resource: Guardianship is Not the Only Option – Resources & Forms for Massachusetts Families

Document

(January 2024)

by Jonathan Gardner with Sarah Boonin

WBUR Commentary: “I’m an adult with autism. I built a team to help me make decisions.”

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Realizing the Promise of Olmstead: Ensuring the Informed Choice of Institutionalized Persons with Disabilities to Receive Services in the Most Integrated Setting

by Steven J. Schwartz, Robert D. Fleischner, Alexander Z. Schwartz & Emily M. Stephens

This law review article – 40 J. of Legal Medicine 63 (2020) – provides a conceptual framework and practical guidelines for applying the do not oppose prong of the Court’s Olmstead test. It seeks to demonstrate that both Olmstead and the ADA require that a decision to remain in a segregated setting must be a knowing and informed choice made by the individual, with accommodations to both the person’s disability and the vestiges of institutionalization. It argues that, where the person is under guardianship, any decision to oppose integration should be subject to judicial review and approval.

 

Visit resource: Realizing the Promise of Olmstead: Ensuring the Informed Choice of Institutionalized Persons with Disabilities to Receive Services in the Most Integrated Setting

Document

Fourth National Guardianship Summit Recommendations: Maximizing Autonomy & Ensuring Accountability

by Fourth National Guardianship Summit Delegates

This law review article – 72 Syracuse L. Rev. 29 (2022) – contains the recommendations for reform that were adopted by delegates — including judges, attorneys, legal scholars, self-advocates, and family members, among others — the Fourth National Guardianship Summit convened in May 2021.   Recommendations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, 3.4, and 5.2 are designed to advance the recognition of, access to, and use of SDM.

Visit resource: Fourth National Guardianship Summit Recommendations: Maximizing Autonomy & Ensuring Accountability

Document

Supported Decision-Making: Potential and Challenges for Older Persons

by Morgan K. Whitlatch & Rebekah Diller

This law review article – 72 Syracuse L. Rev. 165 (2022) – 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.  It was drafted to inform the deliberations at the Fourth National Guardianship Conference, which resulted in key recommendations for promoting SDM.

Visit resource: Supported Decision-Making: Potential and Challenges for Older Persons

Document

Supported Decision-Making: Lessons from Pilot Projects

by Cathy E. Costanzo, Kristin Booth Glen, & Anna M. Krieger

This law review article – 72 Syracuse L. Rev. 99 (2022) – 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 outlines the key principles necessary for successful replication.  It was drafted to inform the deliberations at the Fourth National Guardianship Conference, which resulted in key recommendations for promoting SDM.

Visit resource: Supported Decision-Making: Lessons from Pilot Projects