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“It is important to me to make my own decisions because it gives me power over my own life!” |
-Derek, Youth Ambassador from Georgia for the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice |
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SUBJECT: Youth Ambassadors, Research Study, & New Resources! |
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Hello, everyone!
Welcome to ICI’s third 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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Youth Ambassador Spotlight |
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Jennie is a 24-year-old self-advocate from the Milwaukee area and a Youth Ambassador for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities’ Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice project. Jennie is one of their busiest Ambassadors. She has a job and active social life. Jennie loves her job at Panera Bread where she works in food preparation. She has been working hard to share her supported decision-making experience by presenting at several conferences and trainings. She did a virtual presentation at the Wisconsin Self-Determination Conference and a training on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship. Jennie is always willing to help out and share her story so other self-advocates can learn.
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Successful Supported Decision-Making Stories |
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The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) recently published two new supported decision-making stories: |
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Derek is a Youth Ambassador from Georgia. In his supported decision-making story, Derek uses art to express how he feels about supported decision-making, how he receives support, and why it is important to make his own choices. Read his compelling story and view his artwork.
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Stories are powerful. When we hear stories, we can learn about how people have made important changes in their life. |
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Congratulations to Youth Ambassador Jordan Anderson on his SARTAC fellowship |
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Jordan Anderson from Auburndale, WI was selected as one of only six 2022 Fellows for SARTAC (Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center). The SARTAC Fellowship is a year-long opportunity for self-advocates to develop and grow their skills as leaders in the self-advocacy movement.
His fellowship project is titled Medicaid Policy Changes. There can be a lot of challenges when people with disabilities need durable medical equipment. Some challenges include:
- how long the process takes
- the lack of providers
- insurance denials
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Jordan’s project will look at the process for getting medical equipment. He hopes to find ways to make it easier to get and repair equipment. Jordan’s project will also look at the training rehab specialists receive. Rehab specialists help people get equipment and encourage more people to enter the field. Jordan’s project goal is to help shorten the time that repairs take and shorten the time people with disabilities are stuck at home waiting for repairs.
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For Educators & Transition Specialists |
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Help us Recruit for the GATOR Study |
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Do you know youth, parents, and transition specialists in New York (NY) and Massachusetts (MA)? You can help us with our new research study! So far, we have interviewed 43 youth, parents, and special educators. Help us reach 29 additional youth, parents, and special educators!
We want to interview students, parents, and transition specialists to better understand how special education staff discuss guardianship, alternatives, and transfer-of-rights with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their parents. The study’s goal is to develop effective strategies that support positive transition outcomes for students with IDD.
We are recruiting:
- Students with IDD ages 18-22 in NY and MA
- Students’ parents in NY and MA
- Special educators/transition coordinators who gave the family information about transfer-of-rights, guardianship, and alternatives to guardianship in NY and MA
Students, parents, and special educators will receive a $25 Amazon gift card for completing the interview.
Want to learn more?
Share our flyers with your student, parent, and professional networks to help us spread the word! Please contact Daria Domin at Daria.Domin@umb.edu if you know anyone who would like to participate.
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GATOR’S map gives users an overview of special education transfer-of-rights rules across all 50 US states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. Education professionals, families, and supporters of youth with IDD can learn more about their state’s transfer-of-rights rules, including statutes, regulations, policies, and case law. Just click on your state to learn more!
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CYVYC Staff Working Together for Youth Ambassador Training |
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In May, CYVYC project staff, partners, and trainers traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to revise our Youth Ambassador curriculum together. Our new curriculum is ready for the new group of youth ambassadors starting this month. Here are some highlights from our time together: |
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Group photo of the CYVYC Team. Pictured from left to right: Michael Thornton, Michael Kendrick, Ruby Moore, Melody Cooper, Tom Masseau, Julian Wang, Ella Boyd, Hezzy Smith, Sarah Carmany, Renee Hall, and Allison Cohen Hall. In front: Juliana Huerena |
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Two days in person gave the group time and space to dive deeper into topics like disability and identity, equity, racism, and social justice. Pictured from left to right: Ella Boyd, Melody Cooper, Hezzy Smith. In front: Julian Wang and Michael Kendrick. |
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Allison Hall, Renee Hall, and Sarah Carmany worked as a small group to brainstorm revisions to sections of the Youth Ambassador curriculum. |
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It wasn’t all work and no play. The group enjoyed a meal out together at a local restaurant. Pictured from left to right: Michael Kendrick, Julian Wang, Michael Thornton, Renee Hall, Sarah Carmany, Juliana Huerena, Tom Masseau, Allison Cohen Hall, Melody Cooper, and Ella Boyd. |
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CYVYC Expands its National Community of Practice of State Teams |
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CYVYC is delighted to announce the selection of five additional State Teams to join our National Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with IDD. We have selected State Teams from Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and South Carolina to join the Community of Practice. Read our press release here.
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Guardianship Alternatives and Transfer-of-Rights Resources |
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The first in a series of promising practices, this publication describes Vermont’s statewide self-advocacy organization, Green Mountain Self-Advocates (GMSA), and their partnership with the Vermont Disability Law Project to organize legal clinics for people with IDD. These clinics have enabled self-advocates to get high-quality, easy-to-understand information about alternatives to guardianship they might not get anywhere else. |
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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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