Legal Internship

Recently, while at my internship, I watched my mentor give a presentation to ARD directors in a district in my city on telling parents of children with disabilities alternatives to a full legal guardianship. I found it very interesting and compelling. He explained how often time, many parents don't know about alternatives, and see a guardianship as a necessary next step to be able to assist heir child in making decisions. My mentor talked about how most of the time, guardianships aren't necessary unless the disabled individual is totally incapable of indicating any sort of want or desire necessary to make simple decisions. Much of the time the main concern is that the disabled individual will make decisions not in their best interest. My mentor brought up the ethical point that disabled persons should have the same opportunities to make their own decisions and even possibly mistakes as an abled person have, and that they shouldn't have their self determination taken from them on accountof paternalism. I think that focusing on maintaining disabled persons' freedom, individuality and self determination as apart of advocacy is incredibly important and that's why I feel the presentation really resonated with me. I think that while the abuse of individuals with disabilities is quite rampant, and needs to be corrected, there is also a quite pervasive desire to protect these individuals that ends up hampering them, which, while well intentioned, is ultimately still harmful.