Supported Decision Making (SDM) can provide people with disability opportunities to assess life situations and make decisions, with needed support. In this article, Janice Fitzgerald gives a parent’s perspective on SDM.
When Janice’s son John was a young child, she lived in constant fear for his future. She later learnt that fear and love are incompatible. When living with fear, decisions are likely made to control a situation, whilst decisions grounded in care and love lead to sound judgments. Care and love are two of the most important qualities for effective Supported Decision Making.