Law student volunteers will assist students with disabilities located in Lockhart, Texas in learning about guardianship and alternatives to guardianship, with an emphasis on Supported Decision-Making (SDM) agreements. Students will provide direct counseling to individuals with disabilities and their families on alternatives to guardianship and will lead SDM role-playing exercises. Law student volunteers will meet with the individual and their families via Zoom. SDM agreements and other alternatives to guardianship allow individuals with disabilities to maintain maximum control over their lives and avoid unnecessary and costly probate proceedings.
Organization
INCLUDE Project, Mithoff Pro Bono Program
The INCLUDE Project enables students to provide free legal services to persons with disabilities and their families. Through INCLUDE, law students have counseled hundreds of families on guardianship alternatives since the 2015 passage of the Texas Supported Decision Making Act, a law that is the first of its kind nationally and that incorporates certain protections afforded by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Texas Law. INCLUDE is an internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program.
Project Details
- Project Date
Tuesday, January 31
- Project Time
- 4:30pm-6:30pm
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 5 hours, including training and review of self-study materials
- Training
- Wednesday, January 25, 6:30pm-7:30pm (TNH 2.124)
- Skills used
- Client interviewing/counseling; community education/outreach; mediating between those with divergent interests; cultural competence
- Project location
- Law School (Room TBD)
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 15
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Strong English skills required; Spanish helpful but not necessary; students with an interest in probate and disability law are strongly encouraged to apply
- To Apply
- Register at https://sdm1-27-23.eventbrite.com