Resource Link

https://www.in.gov/doe/files/Spread-the-Word_-Options-for-Supporting-Choice.pdf

Resource Description

Introduction: This document is a guide from the Indiana Department of Education about helping young adults with disabilities make choices. The guide explains what happens when students turn 18 and what rights they get. It also describes different ways to support these young adults in making their own choices.

Resource Summary

Content Summary: When students with disabilities turn 18 in Indiana, they get new rights to make their own choices. This includes choices about school, health care, and money. The guide explains that while this change is normal, some students might need help making good choices. Before students turn 18, their parents get letters about these upcoming changes. These letters explain how the rights will shift from parents to their children. The guide shows there are many ways to help students make choices after they turn 18. The document describes five main ways to support students, ranging from very light help to more control. The lightest support is just getting help from family and friends. This is called informal support. The next level is something called Supported Decision-Making, where the student picks trusted people to help them think through choices. With this option, the student still makes the final choice. There are also more formal ways to help, like giving someone power to make choices in certain areas, such as health care or money. These are called agency agreements. In some cases, a court might give someone limited power to help with specific things, called limited guardianship. The most control is full guardianship, where someone else makes most choices for the person. The guide spends extra time explaining Supported Decision-Making because Indiana made it a legal option in 2019. This choice lets students get help while keeping control of their own choices. It's less strict than guardianship and can be changed easily as the student's needs change. The document warns that too many students are being put under guardianship when they might not need that much help. The guide ends with a list of places where families can get more help and information. These include groups that support people with disabilities and places that can help with money matters. The main message is that there are many ways to help students make choices, and it's best to use the least controlling option that works for each student.