May 31, 2023
1:36 pm
Rhode Island passed the Supported Decision-Making Act in 2019, both establishing Supported Decision Making (“SDM”) and recognizing it as an alternative to guardianship.
By doing so, Rhode Island became part of a nation-wide and planet-wide shift toward supporting the decision making rights of adults with disabilities and away from making decisions for them in an effort to protect them. This shift continues and both led to and was further prompted by the United Nations’ 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognized, in Article 12, the legal capacity of persons with disabilities and the duty of states to provide them the support they may require to exercise their legal capacity. SDM is a way to provide persons with disabilities the support they may need with their decision-making.
For more information about Supported Decision Making, click HERE.
May 31, 2023
1:18 pm
Rhode Island aprobó la Ley de Toma de Decisiones con Apoyo en 2019, que establece la toma de
decisiones con apoyo (Supported Decision-Making, SDM) y la reconoce como una alternativa a la tutela.
Con esto, Rhode Island se convirtió en parte de un cambio a nivel nacional y mundial para dar apoyo a los derechos de toma de decisiones de los adultos con discapacidades y evitar que se tomen decisiones por ellos en una iniciativa por protegerlos. Este cambio continúa y condujo a la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad de 2006, que lo impulsó, y que reconoció, en el artículo 12, la capacidad jurídica de las personas con discapacidad y el deber de los Estados de brindarles el apoyo que requieran para el ejercicio de su capacidad jurídica. La SDM es una forma de brindarles a las personas con discapacidad el apoyo que puedan necesitar en la toma de decisiones.
Esta guía contiene información práctica sobre la SDM. La información en esta guía no constituye asesoramiento legal. Puede optar por consultar a un abogado sobre la SDM, pero no es necesario que lo haga. Las personas que deseen obtener asesoramiento legal deben consultar a un abogado.
Para obtener más información sobre la toma de decisiones con apoyo, haga clic AQUÍ.
February 16, 2022
5:31 pm
Jordan was just hours away from a court hearing that would have awarded his parents guardianship. In this video, Jordan shares his supported decision-making story and how he almost lost his rights. Jordan and Ashley also talk about a new project they are working on for the Center of Youth Voice, Youth Choice to train other self-advocates about alternatives to guardianship.
To watch this amazing story be told, visit: VIDEO – Supported Decision-Making
February 16, 2022
3:25 pm
Under Rhode Island’s limited guardianship law, a judge may decide that a person with disabilities is unable to make some or all of his or her own decisions, and appoint a guardian to make only the decisions the person is not able to make. RI law also requires that alternatives to guardianship be
considered and ruled out before petitioning for guardianship.
RI guardianship law uses four (4) areas of decision-making – health care, residence, finances, and relationships. Depending on capacity, the judge may appoint a guardian to make decisions in one or more areas or within the areas. Until recent years, people in the U.S. have usually used guardianship for people with disabilities. Other countries, like Canada, have been using SDM for decades.
Study after study has shown that when people with disabilities have more control over their life and make more decisions for themselves – when they have more self-determination – they have better lives. People with disabilities who are more self-determined are more likely to live independently, work, be integrated into their communities, and avoid abuse. When people with disabilities use Supported Decision Making (SDM), they work with friends, family, and professionals so they can understand their choices and make their own decisions. As a result, SDM can help people be self-determined, have better life outcomes, and avoid unnecessary guardianship!
For more information, visit: Disability Rights RI: Supported Decision Making
