Alternatives to Guardianship

People with disabilities often require support to understand and make a variety of decisions, including financial decisions. This can be a significant concern both for people with disabilities themselves, and for their family members as they make decisions about how to support their family members in the future. This course will discuss why people should consider alternatives to guardianship (for themselves and their family members) and also explain some of the most common alternative options.

Learning objectives

• Explain the reasons to consider alternatives to guardianship for people with disabilities that affect decision-making.
• Identify common alternatives to guardianship, including power of attorney, special needs trusts, and supported decision-making.
• Compare the benefits and disadvantages of different alternatives to guardianship for different commonly-encountered situations.

About your instructor

Sam Crane has over a decade of experience advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. She has served as Legal Director at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and at Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, which operates the National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making. In her roles, Sam has led trainings for a variety of stakeholders on supported decision-making and other alternatives to guardianship. Sam is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and currently runs Crane Advocacy.

This course initially aired for financial professionals. It has been edited to suit the needs of direct financial education for disabled individuals and their biological or chosen family members.

DISABILIFINANCE courses are for individual use. To purchase group or organizational access at a bulk discount, contact info@disabilifinance.com.