Abstract
This chapter analyses the practice of support for decision making with adults with intellectual disability or acquired brain injury, whom we refer to as people with cognitive disabilities. It reviews propositions about the advantages of the concept of supported decision making and proposals to reform legislative schemes governing decision making for people with cognitive disabilities. In doing so, it highlights the role of values in driving change and the relative absence of evidence about practice. Drawing on a program of empirical Australian research, factors associated with effective decision support for people with cognitive disabilities and challenges faced by supporters are reviewed. Finally, we describe the La Trobe Support for Decision Making Practice Framework which can be applied flexibly across diverse contemporary legal contexts and is the first evidence-based guide to support for decision making.
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Bigby, C., Douglas, J. (2020). Supported Decision Making. In: Stancliffe, R.J., Wehmeyer, M.L., Shogren, K.A., Abery, B.H. (eds) Choice, Preference, and Disability. Positive Psychology and Disability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35683-5_3
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