Our Stories
What is Supported Decision-Making?
“Supported Decision-Making is when a person with disabilities makes their own choices, but with help from people they trust.”
Learn MoreEveryone has a different path.
Some move fast. Some take their time.
Some follow a plan. Some figure it out as they go.
There’s no one right way to grow.
But no one should have to figure it out alone.
Daoud
Learning from making my own decisions
“I feel independent when I practice Supported Decision-Making.”
– Daoud
Samira
Talking about my dreams
“I just want to grow up and be 10 years old”
Jahara: Raising a confident young man
I’ve always let my son make his own decisions
When you fail, it’s a learning tool
Don’t be afraid to fail because it’s how we learn
Advocate for your community and advocate for yourself
My son’s confidence was there from the very beginning
Challenges my son faces and how we tackle them together
My mom always empowered us to “science it out”
Be a mayor or a superintendent: my vision for my son
Amelia: helping my son practice making decisions
He wants all black shoes without laces
Low-risk, medium-risk, and high risk decisions
We make hundreds of decisions a day
I’m impressed by how much fun my son has
My son challenges me to think outside the box
Trang: we all need support sometimes
I’m impressed by how positive my daughter is
I used to have a lot of fear about my daughter’s future
I want my daughter to have a peaceful life
We all need support sometimes
How we work on healthy boundaries
Supported Decision-Making means building life skills
The room to choose picking her own clothes
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.