Welcome (Back) to Rethinking Guardianship! We’re excited to (re-)introduce you to our work and our newly updated website.
Rethinking Guardianship is in the last year of Rethinking Guardianship: Making Alternatives a Reality in North Carolina (MAR-NC). MAR-NC is a three-year project (2020-2023) funded by the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD).
You’ll find direct evidence of our efforts to make alternatives a reality on our website homepage. Begin by watching our video “Exploring Alternatives to Guardianship in North Carolina.”
Under “About Us,” read our Common Agenda and learn how to contact us. You can see our many partners, and you can read news items and annual reports about Rethinking Guardianship. You might especially enjoy watching our 2021 Year in Review video and reading our Year 2 Newsletter Update.
Under “Alternatives to Guardianship,” you’ll find links to our educational materials. These include the following:
- A brochure “An Introduction to Options”
- An educational guide “Supporting Choice and Self-Determination”
- Informational flyers on general, financial, legal and healthcare supports
- A PowerPoint presentation with suggested narrative/talking points titled, “Supporting Choice and Self-Determination: Less Restrictive Alternatives to Guardianship.” You are welcome to download and adapt this presentation for use in your work. Use it to communicate about Supported Decision-Making and other less restrictive options to maximize choice and self-determination. The presentation is designed to be adapted to diverse and targeted audiences, such as self-advocates, families, educators, social workers, lawyers, guardians, advocates, public officials, and policymakers.
All our print material is available in both English and Spanish and is easily downloaded for printing and sharing.
Under “Videos and Stories” you’ll find four short videos and several stories featuring individuals, including the following:
- Janie Desmond and Suvya Carroll, who live together in Durham, North Carolina. With Supported Decision-Making, neither of them has a guardian, and they are able to live independently and make their own decisions.
- Bill Donahue and Deborah Woolard, who chose to not seek guardianship for their son, Jeremy Woolard Donahue, who has Down Syndrome.
- Carol Kelly, whose mother, Mary Jane Mann, was the victim of an inappropriate, predatory guardianship (conservatorship) in California
- Jason Hines, whose positive experience with guardianship led to greater autonomy and the restoration of his rights.
In addition to resources about Supported Decision-Making and other alternatives to guardianship, our website includes resources about guardianship and the restoration of rights in North Carolina, links to partner organizations, and a Frequently Asked Questions document.
Finally, our website will now feature a regular Blog! Different guests will contribute to the Blog each month, and will cover various topics related to Rethinking Guardianship’s work and Common Agenda.
So, please explore our website, use and share our educational materials, and look for upcoming Blog posts!