Law students with petitioning family

2015-present

INCLUDE SDM

Pro bono clinics are held at schools, medical facilities, residential and college campuses, and education service centers to assist students with disabilities in transition to adulthood, providing counseling on supported decision-making (SDM) and other alternatives to guardianship that foster continued growth and independence.  Law students counsel young adults and their parents under the supervision of pro bono probate and family law attorneys. Community partners have included the Austin Independent School District, People’s Community Clinic, the Texas School for the Deaf, the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, the Regional Educational Service Center 1 in Edinburg, Texas, Texas A&M University, and University of Texas at Austin.

Additional work included a study of the implementation of SDM in Texas, authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2015 under the first statute of its kind in the U.S. The project team consulted with attorneys, advocates, and researchers across the country, including Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute on a study of the role of SDM on individual well-being.

Focus Area: Disability Rights