What is Supported Decision Making (SDM)?
Supported decision making (SDM) is a tool that allows people with disabilities to retain their decision making 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.
Video Vignettes
In this series of video vignettes, advocates discuss their personal experiences with utilizing Supported Decision Making (SDM) and emphasize the significance of building these skills in children from a young age. Viewers will gain insight into how transition age youth and adults effectively use SDM to navigate various aspects of their lives, including health, employment, and pursuing activities that are meaningful to them.
SDM Vignettes
SDM One-Page Resources
These one-page visual tools are designed to assist families, self-advocates, and supporters in understanding what Supported Decision Making (SDM) is and how it can be utilized in various aspects of their lives, including medical settings and supporting transition age youth.
- Child
- Teen/Young Adult
- Medical
- Difference between SDM and Guardianship
General resources on SDM
- LifeCourse© Nexus: Supported Decision-Making Tools and Portfolios
- ACLU: How to make a SDM agreement
- Oregon Department of Human Services: SDM Tools and Resources
- National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making: Supported Decision-Making | National Resource Center (supporteddecisionmaking.org)
Interested in training on SDM?
- Supported Decision-Making Train-the-Trainer Program
- This workshop is designed for anyone who is interested in becoming a credentialed trainer in SDM. Participants will build skills to deliver the curriculum both in-person and virtually and adapt to meet the learning needs of your group or organization. Workshops will be available through the OTAC Program and upcoming events will be featured on our events page. If you are interested in a private event for your team, please reach out to Jennie Heidrick (she/her) for more information and a cost proposal.
- To connect with credentialed trainer in your local area, please visit our collaborative list to reach out for more information about costs and availability. All trainers listed here have successfully completed the SDM Train-the-Trainer program. (list is in development)
We are thankful to the Kuni Foundation for their generous support of this important project, which aims to raise awareness about Supported Decision-Making (SDM) as a viable alternative to guardianship. Their contribution provides essential resources like these for people with disabilities, their families, and advocates.