UK Happenings

HDI Hosting Seminar on Supported Decision-making

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2015) — How to support people with disabilities in making their own decisions is the topic of a seminar hosted by the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) and featuring Jonathan Martinis, legal director of Quality Trust, from 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

The seminar, "The Right to Make Choices: An Introduction to Supported Decision-Making," will take place in the Human Development Training Room at the UK Coldstream Research Campus, located at 1525 Bull Lea Road. The seminar will also be live streamed to videoconference sites around the state. Participants can register in person the day of the event.

Martinis will provide an introduction to supported decision-making (SDM), including the theory and methodology behind SDM as well as its benefits and uses. Practical implications of SDM in employment, health care, education and community integration will also be emphasized. A discussion will include how SDM can fit into the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Final Rule and national SDM initiatives. 

Martinis will also overview the "Justice for Jenny" case, which held that Margaret "Jenny" Hatch, who has Down syndrome, has a right to use SDM instead of being subjected to a permanent, plenary guardianship. Martinis represented Hatch, as well as people with disabilities in cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Social Security Act of 1935 and other civil rights laws.

Continuing education units in rehabilitation counseling and effective instructional leadership are approved for this seminar. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu