Turning Off the School-to-Guardianship Pipeline: Incorporating Supported Decision-Making Into Special Education

Despite studies showing that students who have more self-determination-those who make more decisions and have more control over their lives-have more successful educational experiences and adult lives, research and scholarship document the existence of a "School-to-Guardianship Pipeline." There, educational professionals recommend that parents seek guardianship over their children with disabilities, without explaining or exploring other options that may preserve or build their self-determination. This article documents the importance of self-determination to life and educational outcomes for people with disabilities, and summarizes research showing how overbroad and undue guardianship-guardianships that remove more rights than necessary or that remove rights from someone who is able to exercise them independently or with support-can decrease quality of life. Then, the authors show how Supported Decision-Making can serve as an alternative to guardianship and a way to enhance self-determination, and recommend ways to incorporate supported decision-making into special education supports and services.