Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities

SELF-DETERMINATION

The Council is committed to the concept of self-determination, which means that a person with a disability is in control of his or her life. It relates to a long list of basic human rights, such as freedom, power, choice, responsibility, self-advocacy, and authority. For many individuals with disabilities, parents and professionals have been the ones to take charge and make decisions that have important, and often long-term consequences for a person's life. In many cases, individuals with disabilities have never learned to make decisions for themselves, not because they are incapable, but because they have not been given the chance.

In her Disability is Natural Newsletter, Kathie Snow describes self-determination this way:

"Making decisions about when to go to bed, when to get up, what and when to eat, where to work, who to be friends with, and other daily issues; both small and large; is simply part of life in a free society."

Our current projects in this area are described below:

Partners in Policymaking: an education and advocacy program for adults with disabilities and family members. Please follow the link to a separate page that describes in more detail this leadership training program sponsored by the Council.

People First: a grass roots organization based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
They are compiling the stories of thirty (30) individuals who have left institutions to live in the community.  The stories will be included in a book entitled Success Stories.  Publication of the book is scheduled for Spring 2003.

TRA, Inc. - Microboard Project: A program that establishes an entity within Tennessee that will provide technical assistance and training to people and families who want to set up microboards for people with developmental disabilities.

United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee - Consumer Education Grant: A program that provides financial resources for attending disability conferences and workshops. Please follow the link to a separate page that will explain this program in full detail.

Youth Leadership Forum: an education and advocacy program for 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders with disabilities. Please follow the link to a separate page that describes this leadership training program for youth sponsored by the Council.

The Council encourages you to visit some of the sites listed below, which focus on this concept of self-determination.

Learn More About It!

www.self-determination.org/index.htm - National Program Office on Self Determination

www.sabeusa.org - Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, a national grass roots self advocacy organization.

www.independentliving.org - Independent Living, an organization that serves self-help organizations of people with disabilities who work for equal opportunity, self-determination, and self-respect.

www.hsri.org/leaders/leaders.html - Self Advocate Leadership Network

www.wecahr.org - Western Connecticut Association of Human Rights, a self-advocacy organization in Connecticut.

www.cfed.org - Corporation for Enterprise Development, providing information about asset development, for example, individual development accounts.