Self-Directed Support
The RIPIN Self-Directed Support Program (SDSP) provides resources and support for eligible consumers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, their families, and trusted allies utilizing the self-directed model for lifelong services through Rhode Island’s Division of Developmental Disabilities.
RIPIN’s SDSP will provide training, education, and resources to help consumers navigate the self-directed system and make informed decisions about their services. The program will also work to build infrastructure and support to make the self-directed system more transparent and consistent while continuing to foster the philosophy of self-determination inherent to the model.
New Calendar Coming Soon
Please check this page for updates.
RIPIN’s Self-Directed Support Program
Celebrates Its Third Year!
Since our program started in July of 2023, we’ve been working hard to increase community and state capacity for self-directed support services in many ways, many of which you can see reflected here on our webpage. Here are a few milestones we are celebrating at this time:
- We’ve recorded 26 webinars since August 2023
- We called 1,200 people doing self-direction to get updated information and feedback from them
- Our “What is Self-Direction?” webinar recording recently reached over 1,000 views on YouTube!
- Our monthly newsletter, The Navigator, has been opened more than 40,000 times since it started in May 2024!
- The Link With Your Community Guide has been accessed over 2,500 times.
DSP Appreciation Night
June 11, 2026
Thank you to all who attended this lovely evening to celebrate our DSPs who work with individuals who self-direct their services.
The event included a delicious light dinner, speakers, a special appreciation ceremony for all DSPs, and some time to talk and hang out with one another, plus a raffle and a DSP appreciation message board to sign!
Watch a highlight reel of the event by clicking on the image above or on this text.
The night was enjoyed by all! If you weren’t able to make the event, take some time to think about all the ways DSPs make a difference for us and our lives, and tell them how important they are to you! Hearing these words of appreciation mean a lot to DSPs, just as your DSPs mean a lot to you! We look forward to making this an event an annual RIPIN tradition!
We would also like to thank The Arctic Playhouse for being such wonderful and generous hosts!
Our Annual Self-Directed Support Conference
For two years now, RIPIN, in partnership with the Division of Developmental Disabilities at Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals (BHDDH), hosts an annual statewide Self-Directed Support Conference. Family members, staff, and individuals who self-direct attended come together to learn in breakout sessions featuring a mix of panelists with professional and lived experience on topics important to the self-directed community.
Please be on the lookout for more information to come about our third annual conference in 2027!
Check Out Our Monthly Newsletter – The Navigator!
Meet us in your inbox monthly as we share engaging information, resources, and events about our program and self-direction in Rhode Island.
This newsletter began in May 2024 in English. In September, a Spanish version was also created.
En Septiembre de 2024 se puso en marcha una edición en Español.
Read Previous Issues
To view an issue from the past, click on the month you want to see.
English
Self-Direction Resources
Explore our newest resource: The Self-Directed Toolkit
This is a practical guide designed to inspire you to get started or gain additional ideas and solutions for self-directing your services.
It contains:
🗓️Printable and downloadable scheduling templates
👋Resources for community activities and social opportunities
📄Inventive ideas for documentation and important reporting information
✔️Tips and samples of job postings and other staffing and recruiting ideas
➕And so much more!
Our Webinar Library
The RIPIN Self-Directed Support Team produces monthly live webinars on topics to help you understand and enrich your experience with self-direction.
They cover important areas such as employment, natural supports, preparing for a Support Intensity Scale (SIS) meeting, and writing and Individualized Service Plan (ISP). They also feature interviews with guests from Rhode Island’s Fiscal Intermediaries, Support Brokers, our partners from Advocates in Action and The Paul V. Sherlock Center On Disabilities, and the participants in Self-Direction themselves!
To view the growing list of these informative presentations, please click the button below to be taken to our library of recordings from these sessions.
Check out RIPIN’s Link With Your Community Guide!
This guide can be a tool for finding meaningful and fun activities in your community and beyond. It’s a great way to connect with new people and find natural supports, too!
Link With Your Community Guide
News
Articles
Two articles were published about our program and the success of our first-ever Self-Directed Support Conference in Impact, a publication from the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota.
The first article highlights an overview of the conference and how the feedback received from the day is shaping the future of self-direction. Read HERE.
The second article shares a reflection from one of the consumers who participated in the conference and his experiences with self-direction. Read HERE.
Presentation with Applied Self-Direction
Our team presented our signature workshop, “Natural Supports: Who’s in Your Circle?” on March 12, 2025, at the Applied Self-Direction Virtual Conference. View HERE. To learn more about Applied Self-Direction, visit their website HERE.
Podcast Episode
The “Disability News You Can Use” Podcast interviewed RIPIN’s Sue Donovan, Senior Program Director, and Sharon Kochan, Program Manager, about RIPIN’s Self-Directed Support Program. Listen HERE [AUDIO]
Community Resources
Advocates in Action RI is Rhode Island’s premiere statewide Self-Advocacy organization. As an independent, 501(c)3 organization, our mission is to empower people who have a developmental disability to advocate for themselves and others, to support and strengthen the Self‐Advocacy movement and raise awareness about disability issues in the community. We strive to help people become educated about their options, aware of available resources, able to make informed decisions, in control of their own lives, and involved within the community.
If you or a family member in Rhode Island uses self-directed supports or services and want to access helpful information, get updates, and connect with others, consider joining the Self-Directed Supports Network, coordinated by the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities.
This network includes resources for individuals, families, and professionals who support those using self-directed services. They host monthly meetings on important topics on a Wednesday from 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. The meetings are recorded and available to watch at any time on the website.
Families and individuals can now join an online community to connect and share information with others using self-direction in a safe place. Please see this webinar (video) to learn more about how to join and participate.
For more information, visit www.sdsri.net. If you have questions, please get in touch with Crystal Cerullo at [email protected].
To learn more, click here to watch this video recording of our webinar “Partner Showcase” to learn more about the resources they offer for those who self-direct.