Learning Module
Supported Decision-Making
Life Planning › Self-Determination
Supported Decision-Making
A way to plan your life and reach your goals — making your own decisions with a team of trusted supporters at your side.
What Is Supported Decision-Making?
Simply put, Supported Decision-Making is a way to plan your life and achieve your goals by working with a team of trusted supporters to make your own decisions about your future.
By drawing on your friends, family members, and professionals, you’ll better understand the situations and choices you might face when making both simple and hard decisions. Supported Decision-Making promotes your ability to be self-determined, to have control over your own decisions, and to be more self-sufficient and independent.
Supported Decision-Making isn’t really a new idea — you’ve been learning about it for years. Think back to words you may have heard like self-advocacy or self-determination. Some of you already run your own educational or service support meetings; others voice their opinions to the people who care about them about what they want in life. All of these play an important role in Supported Decision-Making.
Learn Supported Decision-Making
We’ll guide you through learning about SDM with a training tutorial and sample plans found in the red section of the Youth Workbook and Choices Book.
Create a Plan for the Future
Help your child create a plan for their future and determine the level of support they need. We’ll walk you through the areas to consider and the choices your child will want to make in their own life — a natural next step alongside Person-Centered Planning.
Guides & Workbooks
Refer to the RED section of the Choices and Youth Workbooks for detailed information and worksheets.
“My Voice Counts” was designed and created by the Utah Advocates as Leaders, Self-Advocacy Speaker’s Network. The speakers researched and wrote this guide to help self-determined people think about ways their voices can be heard when making both simple and hard decisions.
Every Voice Counts
Supported Decision-Making helps your family member make their own choices with the right supports in place. Our parent consultants can help you get started — always free of charge.