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“It’s my life, so it should be my choice! Instead of having a guardian decide everything for me at 18, I will advocate for myself. My circle of support is people that I trust.”
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—Jenna, Youth Ambassador from Michigan |
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Hello, everyone!
Welcome to ICI’s fifth edition of the Alternatives to Guardianship (A2G) newsletter. This quarterly newsletter features content from our two projects:
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Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights (GATOR): A project dedicated to informing education professionals, families, and supporters of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) about transfer-of-rights.
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Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC): A national youth resource center on alternatives to guardianship.
Please share our A2G e-news with friends, colleagues, and others who are interested in promoting autonomy and self-determination for youth with IDD. Find our posts using #ICIA2G and be sure to follow ICI.
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Allison Cohen Hall, PhD
Principal Investigator
Center on Youth Voice,Youth Choice (CYVYC)
Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights (GATOR)
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New Factsheet about Guardianship |
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This and other publications from CYVYC are available on the CYVYC website under the “Resources” tab.
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Youth Ambassador Showcases |
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Wisconsin and Vermont showcases are now available for viewing! Thank you to all the WI and VT Youth Ambassadors for their hard work and excellent presentations!
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CYVYC Advisory Board Member Testifies |
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Houston, a CYVYC advisory board member, wrote and presented to the Senate Study Committee on People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Waiver Plan Access. The Committee is tasked with evaluating and addressing the needs of Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Houston’s 3-minute speech received a standing ovation.
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Congratulations to Michigan’s Youth Ambassadors! |
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Michigan’s Youth Ambassadors have been busy working with their State Team in spreading the word about supported decision-making (SDM). For example:
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Jenna Lee, who recently turned 17 years old, will be sharing her journey into adulthood by making one short video on SDM every month for the rest of the year. She launched this project in January and posted her first video to social media. She said: “Because I have Down syndrome, some people think I can’t be independent. But I think I can make my own decisions. It’s my life, so it should be my choice! Instead of having a guardian decide everything for me at 18, I will advocate for myself. ...My circle of support is people that I trust.” You can follow Jenna’s journey on YouTube and Instagram.
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Corissa Pittman, a 14-year-old middle school student, presented on SDM to over 135 staff of the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District in January. The response to their presentation was impressive, with the audience leaping to its feet to give them a standing ovation. Corissa said: “My first exposure to thinking about guardianship was when I applied to be a Youth Ambassador. I had never spoken to my family about it before that. It made me really start thinking about how I want to make decisions about my life as an adult.”
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Jeanie Rowe, who is 21 years old and co-leader of the Michigan State Team, also has been regularly presenting with her State Team. She developed a PowerPoint on SDM on the voting process. Jeanie has a number of upcoming speaking engagements, including a presentation at the 39th Annual Developmental Disabilities Conference, organized by the Western Michigan University School of Medicine, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Jeanie said: “Get information from those you know and trust, weigh the options, and then express your choices.”
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Kaiden Tolbert graduated from high school in 2022 and is now a college student interested in studying education and human services. He is working with the Michigan Supported Decision-Making Coalition to incorporate his experience with guardianship into presentations. Kaiden is scheduled to present at the 83rd Annual Michigan Council for Exceptional Children Conference in March. He also looks forward to presenting to transition-age students, saying: “I think young people will listen to me because I am close to their age.” In addition, Kaiden will be working on some social media posts to educate people about Supported Decision-Making.
For more information on this exciting work, including links to PowerPoints and videos, please visit the Michigan State Team page on CYVYC’s website.
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Top row: Kaiden speaking at a graduation and holding up a plaque. Jeanie posing in front of an American flag.
Bottom row: Corissa giving a presentation and Jenna speaking.
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CYVYC would like to introduce the Alternatives to Guardianship (A2G) map! |
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We have reviewed A2G in 50 states and DC that are recognized by each state’s statutes or regulations in four areas of decision-making: education, health, financial, and a “general” category. Use this tool to learn more about what A2G are available in your state and how to use them. Please share our flyer with parents, educators, and others!
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Image of the US map with 4 icons labeled: Finance, Health, Education, General |
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Check out our new Resource Library! We have carefully selected resources on topics related to alternatives to guardianship, supported decision-making, guardianship, transition planning, and transfer-of-rights. These resources are for youth, parents, supporters, educators, policymakers, advocates, and many others!
All eight State Community of Practice states now have their own pages! They can be found under the “About” tab of the CYVYC website.
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GATOR partners presented findings from interviews with youth about transfer-of-rights. The self-advocate researchers presented to GATOR’s Advisory Board, which consists of parents, youth, and special educators. View the presentation.
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Authored by current and former ICI staffers Cady Landa, Allison Hall, Jen Bose, Jaimie Timmons, and GATOR consultants Matthew “Hezzy” Smith and Michael Stein from the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, this is a scoping review of literature on schools’ transfer of rights practices under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with respect to students with IDD.
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Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, grant # R324A190114.
Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice is funded by cooperative agreement # 90DNDM0004, Administration for Community Living (ACL), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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