Person-centered practice is grounded in the idea that people with disabilities are the decision makers in their own lives. Supporting people to make choices is a priority for person-centered systems. Too often people with disabilities are appointed guardians. When people have guardians, their ability to make choices may be significantly constrained in the name of keeping them safe. This webinar will explore how disability systems are expanding alternatives to guardianship, such as supported decision-making where people choose supporters to help them make important decisions in their lives. Current efforts across the country and internationally to implement supported decision-making and other alternatives provide an historic opportunity to help people take control of their lives. In this webinar, national experts, state representatives, advocates, and people with lived experience of disability from Colorado, Georgia, and Wisconsin, will outline strategies for systems and a new NCAPPS resource to expand supported decision making so that more people can benefit from these alternatives to guardianship.
Michael Kendrick has worked in many roles including Assistant Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, Director of Kendrick Consulting International for over three decades, and as the Director of Supported Decision Making for the Center for Public Representation. He has provided thousands of public presentations on topics such as leadership, supported decision making, key ingredients of service quality, self-directed service models, social movements, and has over a hundred publications on such topics.
Dana Lloyd currently serves as director of the Developmental Disabilities program at Georgia’s Protection and Advocacy agency and leads Georgia’s supported decision-making coalition. Dana is a state team lead for the Administration for Community Living (ACL)'s Center on Youth Voice Youth Choice, a national youth led Supported Decision-Making Project. Her career began providing direct support to people with disabilities to live full lives in their communities. She trains other professionals in principles of person centeredness and community building.
Jordan Anderson is 19 years old and a 2021 high school graduate. Jordan is a strong advocate for Supported Decision-Making and co-leads the Center for Youth Voice, Youth Choice project for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. He has a dual role as a Co-lead and a Youth Ambassador for the project and is helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship. Jordan is currently enrolled in Project Search.
Fil Clissa is a Senior Program/Policy Analyst at the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. She has worked in the disability community for over 40 years. Her work is focused on providing greater opportunities for people with disabilities to lead a Self-Determined life and to fully participate in their community. She is also the project manager for the statewide self-advocacy organization and works with their leadership team to strengthen Wisconsin’s Self-Advocacy voice.
Nora Brahe has more than 30 years’ experience working with health care delivery for individuals with disabilities. She has extensive knowledge of long-term care program design and service delivery for individuals with disabilities and the elderly. Her experience includes 17 years with the Medicaid long term care system and 21 years in community mental health. Currently, Nora is a member of the Colorado Office of Community Living at the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).
Lori Thompson has held multiple roles in the disability field over the last 36 years. She began her career as a Direct Support Professional serving individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The last 16 years she has been responsible for Medicaid long-term services and supports program policy development in her work with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Lori maintains an emphasis on person centered practices and self-determination and brings that passion into her daily work with stakeholders and the Department.
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NCAPPS is an initiative from the Administration for Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help States, Tribes, and Territories to implement person-centered practices. NCAPPS webinars are open to the public, and are geared toward human services administrators, providers, and people who use long-term services and supports. All NCAPPS webinars will be recorded and archived at https://ncapps.acl.gov.