Feature Issue on Self Direction

As more people choose to self-direct their support services, it’s more important than ever to emphasize self-determination, freedom, and choice in accessing those services.

This issue of Impact shines a light on how self-direction of Medicaid home and community-based services makes a difference in the lives of people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. For some, self-direction simply means a better transportation system so they can get out in their communities. For others, it has opened career opportunities never before dreamed because of the freedom they had to design their own support services.

In these pages, you’ll find examples of programs working to make self-direction more accessible to a wide variety of people with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities. Data is shared that show how and where self-direction is growing. In a thoughtful article wrapping up decades of lessons learned in Wisconsin’s system, author Lynn Breedlove ponders what a great self-direction system would look like if it were being designed today.

And check out the rich assortment of personal stories, including Ellie Sondock’s compelling personal account of becoming a direct support professional. Her passion for using theater, dance, and social gatherings to support young adults with autism tells the story of self-direction’s power to support the development of rich, authentic lives. Another example of self-determination’s role in self-direction.