Supported Decision-Making: An Alternative to Guardianship Train-the-Trainer Program

Helping Transition Age Youth Understand Their Legal Rights and Plan for Their Future Through Supported Decision-Making

Event Date/Time: July 12, 2023, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Instructors: Heidi Barnett, Jen Dibello, Jennie Heidrick, and Micah Ralston

As in most communities across the country, parents and guardians of transition age children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Oregon are almost always directed to seek legal guardianship when their child turns eighteen. The misperception that guardianship is necessary to protect adults with IDD is not only communicated by trusted professionals, such as school administrators and educators, medical professionals, and case managers, but also by other parents. By creating opportunities for education, accessible tools, and resources for professionals, parents, and self-advocates about alternatives to guardianship, we aim to decrease the use of guardianship for transitioning youth in Oregon and act as a catalyst for existing grass roots advocacy efforts.

In collaboration with our community partners, and with the support of a grant from the Kuni Foundation, we continue our efforts in implementing a statewide train-the-trainer curriculum and web-based training related to Supported Decision-Making (SDM) in the area of school-to-adult transition. The training will be for services coordinators, personal agents, transition coordinators, community educators and will provide simple tools for professionals to use in educating parents and young adults about Supported Decision-Making and how it relates to their future independence and self-determination. 

General Qualification Requirements:

• 1+ years delivering training and/or group facilitation
• Ability to meet the needs of diverse learners
• Experience working in the Intellectual/Developmental Disability and/or Mental Health Field or other social services fields.
• Self-advocates are encouraged to register!

This training is also available June 14, 2023! Click here to register for that date instead.