Supported Decision-Making
“The freedom to live your life, with support that feels right.”
Supported Decision-Making means choosing the people you trust to help you think things through. It’s about giving yourself the chance to learn and grow by making your own choices. The support you want at 17 might be different at 27 or 37—and that’s normal. Supported Decision-Making grows with you. You get to choose the people who help you understand your options and back you up when it matters most.
Where do I start?
What is Supported Decision-Making? Check out these resources to learn more.
Find resources, templates and guides to help you along your journey.
Check out stories from real people who use Supported Decision-Making.
Check out our checklists and other helpful materials.
This is your life. You get to choose your path.
Supported Decision-Making is about making your own choices and choosing your path—with people you trust. Learn more about how to use SDM in your life:
Watch trainings (English, Spanish, Mam, Tagalog, Vietnamese)
Learn how to work with the Regional Center
How to work withhttps://familyresourcenavigators.org/supported-decision-making/sdm-learning/#regional the Regional Center
Share your story
Share your feedback
This work was supported by a grant made possible through the California State Council of Developmental Disabilities. Use a training or resource? Your feedback will help improve our resources. Share your thoughts here:
Submit your story
Interested to talk about your experience making decisions or using Supported Decision-Making? To submit a story for our social media or website, use this guide to record your own story.
Show the Power of Support: Social Media Toolkit
Self-Advocates with Disabilities
Use this social media toolkit to share your story and remind others that we don’t have to decide alone.
This toolkit is designed to help you talk about Supported Decision-Making in your own words. You’ll find posts, graphics, and videos for use on your social media to show that support is strength and everyone makes decisions with help.
Parents/Caregivers
Use this social media toolkit to show how support builds strength.
Parents and caregivers play a key role in helping young people build the confidence and skills to make decisions for themselves. This toolkit offers posts and graphics that highlight the power of trust, growth, and collaboration and ways you can support the young people in your life.
Teachers/Professionals
Use this social media toolkit to help others see that decision-making is a team sport.
As educators and mentors, you play an important part in helping people practice making choices and understanding their options. This toolkit includes sample posts, visuals, and key messages to share how Support Decision-Making helps build lifelong skills and confidence.