Administration for Community Living Supported Decision Making Program

Learn about ACL funding toward a Supported Decision Making Program.  SDM is person-centered – this means SDM solutions are based on the wants and needs of the individual receiving support. SDM keeps control in the hands of the individual providing customized assistance in specific ways and in specific situations that are useful to the individual.
 

American Bar Association Supported Decision Making

Guardianship deprives an individual of virtually all legal rights to make decisions and choices. The decision-making ability of persons with disabilities (including older individuals with dementia) is often too quickly questioned and discounted. In many cases, courts appoint guardians for people who could continue to make their own decisions with the right supports and services. The American Bar Association has long been committed to advocating for less restrictive alternatives to guardianship. The ABA Commission on Law and Aging’s PRACTICAL Tool is a guide for lawyers to implement less restrictive decision-making options for persons with disabilities.
 

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Supported Decision-Making

An alternative to guardianship for individuals with developmental disabilities is supported decision-making. When is supported decision-making appropriate and when is it not?
 

ASTRIVE - Advocacy Supported Decision Making

Astrive Advocacy is committed to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families by serving as a resource for training and support for individuals, families, employers, policy makers, and members of the community. We are dedicated to develop, grow, and support Individuals with Disabilities, Family Members, Provider Staff, and Community Advocates in their efforts to recognize their value, speak and be heard, and improve access to quality programs and services in all aspects of community life.
 

Center for Public Representation Supported Decision-Making

People with disabilities may need assistance making decisions about living arrangements, health care, relationships, and financial matters. But they do not necessarily need a guardian to make those decisions for them. A trusted network of supporters can field questions and review options to help the person with the disability make their own decisions. Supporters are selected by the person with the disability. They can be family members, co-workers, friends, and past or present providers. The individual should select supporters who know and respect his or her will and preferences, and who will honor the choices and decisions the individual makes.
 

LifeCourse Nexus Training and Technical Assistance Center Supported Decision-Making

Materials designed to help a person, family, or a professional explore areas where any person might need decision making support, plan for what it looks like and how it can happen, and seek out the needed supports.
 

National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making

EVERYONE has the Right to Make Choices.  How would you feel if you had no say in where you live? Or where you work? Or who you spend time with? Or what you can buy and spend money on? That’s what can happen to older adults and people with disabilities when someone else has the power to make decisions for them, like when they’re put in a guardianship. We believe that everyone has the Right to Make Choices. Supported Decision-Making is a way people can make their own decisions and stay in charge of their lives, while receiving any help they need to do so.
 

Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities

Quality Trust is an independent, non-profit advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families in the District of Columbia and beyond. We work with people and their family members to solve problems, identify opportunities for learning and contribution, Quality Trust looks for creative ways to minimize differences and make the most of each person’s abilities.
 

Special Needs Alliance Supported Decision-Making in the US: History and Legal Background

SDM had its origins in Sweden and in several of the Canadian provinces. In 1988, Sweden abolished full guardianship and substituted a two-tier system. For an individual whose needs could not be met by a less restrictive means, such as a power of attorney, a “god man” [good person] could be appointed. The god man could only make decisions with the consent of the individual with a disability. The appointment of a god man does not affect the ability of the individual to make their own decisions.
 

Supported Decision-Making: Frequently Asked Questions

Supported decision making (SDM) is a tool that allows people with disabilities to retain their decisionmaking capacity by choosing supporters to help them make choices. A person using SDM selects trusted advisors, such as friends, family members, or professionals, to serve as supporters. The supporters agree to help the person with a disability understand, consider, and communicate decisions, giving the person with a disability the tools to make her own, informed, decisions.
 

WV Center for End-of-Life Care

West Virginians want their wishes respected and their pain controlled near the end of life. The Center for End-of-Life Care provides information to individuals and their loved ones so that they can make informed choices and receive the treatment they want. 

Completing advance directives and/or medical orders (POST and DNR) is always voluntary.  These forms can be very beneficial in documenting individuals' end of life care wishes, and the e-Directive Registry helps ensure these forms translate into patient care.
 

WVU Center for Health Ethics and Law

The WVU Center for Health Ethics and Law endeavors to improve the quality of patient care in West Virginia by providing information to patients and families so they can make informed choices and their wishes respected.