Cynthia Goldberg smiling in a purple shirt
“I would want to be part of decisions about my life.”
-Cynthia G., Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong                                 
Hello, everyone!

Welcome to ICI’s new Alternatives to Guardianship (A2G) newsletter.

We believe that youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can make important decisions about their lives. We believe in self-determination and informed choice. This quarterly newsletter will feature stories, promising practices, and data highlights from our work with partners to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with IDD.

We will primarily feature content from our two projects:
  1. Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights (GATOR), a 4-year research project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences
  2. Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC), a 5-year project funded by the Administration on Community Living.

You are receiving this newsletter because you are part of a network that engages with youth with IDD. If you are not interested in receiving this e-newsletter, please opt out using the link at the end of this email.

Are you interested in receiving information about other disability and transition related topics from the ICI? Join the ICI’s e-news list!

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:
Allison Cohen Hall headshot
Allison Cohen Hall, PhD
Principal Investigator
Center on Youth Voice/Youth Choice (CYVYC)
Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights (GATOR)
Do you want to join the CYVYC Youth Advisory Board?
CYVYC is looking for 1 or 2 new youth advisors! As a youth advisor, you can help lead the project and share your thoughts about alternatives to guardianship.
 
Who can be a youth advisor?
Youth between the ages of 14 and 26 who have an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) can join.
 
As a youth advisor, you will be part of the Youth Advisory Board. You will go to 4 online meetings a year. You will get paid $50 to go to each meeting.
 
If you are interested or know someone who is, please contact Allison Hall at Allison.Hall@umb.edu.
New briefs, video, & resources about guardianship alternatives and transfer-of-rights
ICI’s Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights (GATOR) project has published four new resources on alternatives to guardianship for youth with IDD and their supporters. 
 
Guardianship takes away a person’s legal right to make decisions for themselves. Guardianship has many negative effects on the lives of people with IDD. What leads people to consider guardianship?
 
Two self-advocacy organizations, Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS) and Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS), share strategies and recommendations about alternatives to guardianship in their brief, Preparing for the Transfer-of-Rights: Taking a Closer Look at Guardianship and its Alternatives. Researchers from MASS and SANYS also presented their findings about why people choose guardianship and how to consider alternatives in this video: Preparing for the Transfer-of-Rights brief.
 
As youth approach adulthood, parental rights transfer to their adult children. This is called “transfer-of-rights.” How and when parents and caregivers receive information about transfer-of-rights can impact decisions about their youths’ transition process.
 
How can parents and caregivers make the most of the transfer-of-rights process with their youth? When parents view transfer-of-rights as an opportunity, youth can improve their decision-making and leadership skills and have better transition outcomes. Read the latest GATOR brief, Transfer-of-Rights: How Parents, Families, and Caregivers of Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Can Prepare for this Exciting Opportunity to learn what research shows about parents’ and youths’ transfer-of-rights discussions with schools.
 
Do you want to learn more about transfer-of-rights and alternatives to guardianship? Download the MASS and SANYS Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights resource list for youth with IDD and their supporters!
New GATOR Triad Study in January 2022
Next month, staff from the GATOR project, in partnership with Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS) and the Self Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS), will be launching a new research study in New York (NY) and Massachusetts (MA).

We will interview students, parents, and special educators from six school districts in NY and six school districts in MA. We want to understand youths’ experiences of participating in guardianship and transfer-of-rights discussions during transition planning. We want to know what factors impact how special education staff address transfer-of-rights conversations between students and their parents, and how these practices affect parental expectations and student outcomes.

We will interview 24 “triads”, or groups of 3 people:
  • 24 students with IDD ages 18-22 from six school districts in MA and six school districts in NY
  • 24 students’ parents
  • 24 special educators/transition coordinators who gave the family information about transfer-of-rights, guardianship, and alternatives.

We will begin looking in January 2022 for people to interview. Please contact Daria Domin at Daria.Domin@umb.edu if you know any students, parents, or special education/transition professionals who would like to participate in MA or NY.
A blonde white woman holds a paper while talking with a young adult male with brown curly hair
ICI’s Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights launches new website
GATOR explores the relationship between special educators’ transfer-of-rights and guardianship discussions and key predictors of transition outcomes for students with IDD across the US. Do you want to learn more about transfer-of-rights rules where you live?
 
Our new site features:
 
Visit the new GATOR website to learn more about what is happening in your state around transfer-of-rights for youth with IDD.
screenshot of GATOR website
Seeking Youth Stories on Alternatives to Guardianship!
icon of a book and a cellphone
Stories are powerful. When we hear stories, we can learn about how people have made important changes in their life.

The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice is a new national youth resource center on alternatives to guardianship (A2G). We have resources to help you learn about alternatives to guardianship.

If you have a story about how a young person (including yourself!) has used an alternative to guardianship, we'd like to hear from you.

Download this flyer and help us collect stories!

Who should contact us:
  • Youth with IDD who have a story to share
  • A supporter of a youth who has a story
  • Someone who works in this area and knows of a youth with a story

Who can I contact if I want more information?
Daria Domin: youthvoice@umb.edu
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).