In 2019, we commissioned a small independent evaluation from Elizabeth Pell, who was also an author of the CPR/Nonotuck Evaluations (2015 and 2016) looking at why parents petition for guardianship, what they know about guardianship, and how supported decision-making may alleviate their concerns and avoid guardianship. The evaluation also looks at SDMNY’s process.
DDPC has funded an independent evaluation by Burton Blatt Institute of Syracuse University, which should be completed sometime in 2021.
Excerpts from Elizabeth Pell’s report, SDMNY: Evaluation Report of an Intentional Pilot:
This is not just signing a piece of paper. It’s about a real transformation, that we have now seen over and over, in which people with IDD become real agents of their own lives.
–SDMNY staff
Finding: Guardians and potential guardians are interested in SDMNY because SDM aligns with their values for how they want their family members with IDD to live: to have a voice, advocate for themselves, and have more control over their lives.
Finding: SDMNY also appeals to family members because it is a mechanism to engage more people in the decision-maker’s life and provide for future decision assistance after parents and other family members pass.