Article describing guardianship reform efforts in new 2017 Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Protective Arrangements Act including provisions related to SDM.
He’s 42, autistic – and finally on his own (September 1, 2019)
News article describing first man in Maine, Joshua Strong, to have guardianship rescinded in favor of SDM.
See also press release from Disability Rights Maine regarding Mr. Strong.
IACHR Welcomes Measures Recognizing the Legal Capacity of People with Disabilities in Peru (October 2, 2018)
Article describing law passed in Peru on September 4, 2018 recognizing that people with disabilities have full legal capacity and the concept of support and safeguards.
The Story of the First Two Nations to Pass Landmark Disability Rights Law (December 2, 2019)
Information on event held by Open Society Foundations bringing together disability rights leaders who championed passage of laws eliminating guardianship and fully recognizing the right to legal capacity of persons with disabilities in Peru in 2018 and Colombia in 2019.
Visit resource: The Story of the First Two Nations to Pass Landmark Disability Rights Law
UN expert welcomes legal capacity reform in Colombia to end guardianship regime (August 29, 2019)
Article about Colombia’s elimination of guardianship. Contains statements by Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas.
Visit resource: UN expert welcomes legal capacity reform in Colombia to end guardianship regime
Rhode Island: Supported Decision-Making Statute (July 8, 2019)
Rhode Island’s Supported Decision-Making Statute. RI H5909, January Session, A.D. 2019; R.I. Gen. Laws §66.13. (2019). Press release with more information about the bill.
Visit resource: Rhode Island: Supported Decision-Making Statute
Alternatives to Guardianship and Guardianship (Mass.) (November 2017)
Provides an overview of guardianship alternatives in Massachusetts including Supported Decision-Making, health care proxies, and powers of attorney. Also provides overview of guardianship in Massachusetts, including information about the rights of individuals who are subject to guardianship.
Visit resource: Alternatives to Guardianship and Guardianship (Mass.)
Turning Rights Into Reality: How Guardianship and Alternatives Impact the Autonomy of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (June 10, 2019)
Follow up report to National Council on Disability Beyond Guardianship 2018 report. This report explores the experiences of people with I/DD through interviews and research. Report discusses school-to-guardianship pipeline.
Making My Own Healthcare Decisions for People with Disabilities (July 2019)
A sample letter than can be used to explain your wishes about health care decision-making to a health care provider. This letter could be used as an SDM agreement if you are only interested in your supporters helping with health care decisions.
Visit resource: Making My Own Healthcare Decisions for People with Disabilities
Fact Sheet on Mass. SDM Bill H. 4349/S. 2490 (March 2020)
Fact sheet describing Massachusetts Supported Decision-Making legislation (H. 4349/S. 2490).
Visit resource: Fact Sheet on Mass. SDM Bill H. 4349/S. 2490
