Article discussing Supported Decision-Making and Britney Spears. Describes the disability community movement to create guardianship alternatives. Features CPR partners Jimmy C., CPR pilot participant with Nonotuck, and Jordan Anderson, Co-Lead of Wisconsin Supported Decision-Making state team and Youth Ambassador from the Center on Youth Voice/Youth Choice first community of practice.
Statement from Disability Justice and Supported Decision-Making Advocates: Britney Spears Spotlights the Need for Change Now
A Fact Sheet from the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) about the Massachusetts SDM bills, S.124 and H.272, introduced in 2021.
Louisiana’s Supported Decision-Making Statute. H.B. 361, 2020 Reg. Leg. Sess. (La. 2020).
Visit resource: Louisiana: Supported Decision-Making Statute
A Fact Sheet from the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) about the Massachusetts SDM bills, SD1746 and HD2134 introduced in 2021.
Visit resource: Mass. SDM Bill Fact Sheet (SD1746 and HD2134)
The Arc of Northern Virginia has created a collection of excellent, accessible resources about Supported Decision-Making including:
This video explains what it is like to vote with a disability. The video talks about how accommodations with voting work and what to expect when you vote. The video also explains that you can contact your state’s Protection & Advocacy Agency if something goes wrong when you are trying to vote and you need help from a lawyer.
The Go Voter project from Self Advocates Becoming Empowered includes many helpful videos and other resources about voting for self-advocates.
Voting is important! Did you know that even if you have a guardianship you may still be able to vote? Whether you can vote while under a guardianship depends on the laws in your state and on what your guardianship paperwork says. If you are under a guardianship you may still have the right to vote. The Your Vote Counts guide from Autistic Self Advocacy Network explains the rules in every state about voting while under a guardianship.
You can also read more about your RIGHT to vote and HOW to vote on this page from Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
Visit resource: Your Vote Counts: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Voting in the U.S.
The Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act (UGCOPAA) of 2017 is the model guardianship statute produced by the Uniform Law Commission.
The UGCOPAA includes provisions promoting SDM as an alternative to guardianship. (See, e.g., UGCOPAA, Sec. 301(a)(1)(A))
Link includes list of states that have adopted the model statute.
Visit resource: Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act
