Students will assist young adults with disability transitioning out of special education programs and their families (or other caregivers/supporters) in learning about guardianship and alternatives to it, with an emphasis on a new option in state law to enter into Supported Decision Making (SDM) agreements. 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 with interests in disability and probate law to provide free legal serves to persons with disabilities and their families. Through INCLUDE, law students advised more than 100 families on guardianship alternatives during the 2015-16 academic year following the 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. The INCLUDE Project is an internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program, in partnership with the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law. The Signing Clinic is being conducted in partnership with the Austin Independent School District.
Project Details
- Project Date
Saturday, March 4
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 4.5-7 hours including training; Students may sign up to work 8:30am-11:00am, 10:30am-1:30pm or 8:30am-1:30pm
- Training
- A 2 hour training session will be held Tuesday, February 28, 6:00pm-8:00pm (TNH 2.137)
- Skills used
- Client interviewing/counseling; community education/outreach; mediating between those with divergent interests; cultural competence
- Project location
- Round Rock High School, 300 N. Lake Creek, Round Rock, TX (Bldg. 100)
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 20 (10 per shift)
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- No prerequisites
- To Apply
- Submit email stating interest, transportation needs, and whether or not you are a returning volunteer to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu