Who we are

SDMNY began in 2016 as 5-year pilot project funded by the NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) and has been supported at different points in its duration through the generosity of private funders including the Ford Foundation, the FAR Fund, and the Taft Foundation. Today, SDMNY operates under pilot funding from the NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).

Goals of the project from its inception have included: 

  • Education of stakeholders about the emerging practice of supported decision-making (SDM)
  • Development and piloting a process by which people with I/DD can avoid guardianship or, if already subject to guardianship, have their rights restored
  • Advocacy for for Supported Decision-Making Agreement (SDMA) legislation
  • A plan for long term sustainability

SDM is now widely recognized in NYS as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship. Based on the success of the pilot and incorporating the Principles for Supported Decision-Making Legislation developed by SDMNY out of its experience, The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) drafted an SDMA bill that was passed by both houses of the legislature and signed by the Governor on July 26, 2022. SDMNY’s plan for sustainability is incorporated within a 3-year implementation grant from OPWDD as SDMNY continues to make SDM a reality in New York. SDMNY’s facilitation process continues to be refined and and has been evaluated, and more than 120 Decision-Makers have signed SDMAs.