Supported decision-making, to me, isn't
just about having people around the table to help make decisions with a person. For me,
it's about empowerment and respect and mostly courage, in the sense that
all the people have to really take the time and be courageous enough to really hear
each other out, even if they don't agree. I feel like this starts with encouraging children and teenagers
to have the freedom to make choices and experience the consequences of those choices, in terms of
young people with disabilities. And those experiences really lead to the development of better
decision making skills overall, and the courage to be honest with each other without
fearing judgment and shame if there's a disagreement or someone makes a mistake in a decision that
they've made. To me, supported decision-making involves everybody having the courage to listen
to different perspectives and ideas about a decision, so everyone can understand the
potential consequences, good and bad. Ideally it helps people negotiate
better solutions in their lives, through a process that still helps respect a person's right
to be the author of their own lives, and even to make their own mistakes, if that's what it
means for them.