Jonathan Martinis, Senior Director for Law and Policy for the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, will be the keynote speaker at the Nov 18 Transition Summit at the Grappone Center in Concord, NH.
In 2013, Jonathan represented Margaret “Jenny” Hatch in the “Justice for Jenny” case – the first trial to hold that a person has the right to use Supported Decision-Making to make her own life choices instead of being subjected to a permanent, plenary guardianship. Since then, Jonathan has led SDM projects in New York, Nebraska, Ohio, California, Virginia, Vermont, Missouri, and Kansas. He has also educated and trained tens of thousands of older adults, people with disabilities, families, and professionals across the country on SDM theory and practice. Jonathan has written or co-written over 60 publications on SDM, including the first textbook and first theory-to-practice guidebook on the subject. In his position with Syracuse University, Jonathan leads its efforts to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities have access to the services and supports they need to lead independent, inclusive lives.
As well as the keynote address, Jonathan will also lead a closing session.
Keynote Session featuring Jonathan Martinis
“Supported Decision-Making: From Justice for Jenny to Justice for All”
Study after study has shown that when people with disabilities have more control over their life and make more decisions for themselves – when they have more self-determination – they have better lives. People with disabilities who are more self-determined are more likely to live independently, work, be integrated into their communities, and avoid abuse.
This session will introduce the audience to the theory and practice of Supported Decision-Making (SDM). When people with disabilities use SDM, they work with friends, family, and professionals so they can understand their choices and make their own decisions. As a result, SDM can help people be self-determined, have better life outcomes, and avoid unnecessary guardianship!
Closing Session featuring Jonathan Martinis
“Creating a Shared Route to Student Success: The Culture of Coordinated Support Model”
Jonathan will help you apply what you’ve learned about NH services and resources to helping students navigate these same services. Too often, services for people with disabilities are “silo-ed” – agencies, organizations, and providers focus only on what they do and do not communicate or collaborate with others providing similar supports. As a result, people with disabilities can receive ineffective, redundant, or even contradictory advice and support.
This session will demonstrate ways to create and implement effective and efficient support plans and services. Using the Culture of Coordinated Support Model, based on SDM, people can improve their services and ensure that providers work together, allowing them to specialize in the areas where they perform best – so people and providers can do better work in less time, with less effort and waste of resources.
More information about the Transition Summit
Registration deadline is November 4. Registration and lots more details
