Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice Welcomes Five New State Teams in Its National Community of Practice on Alternatives to Guardianship

The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYVYC) is a resource center for youth with intellectual and/or development disabilities (I/DD). CYVYC provides technical assistance to state teams from across the US to promote alternatives to guardianship, so that fewer youth with I/DD have legal guardians. Each state team aims to reduce the number of guardianships in their state and promotes supported decision making as an alternative.

CYVYC hosts a Community of Practice for state teams that fosters a rich dialogue around best practices, supports long-term change, and centers the voices of youth leaders in its work.

This year, 25 teams from 21 States and territories applied to join the CYVYC Community of Practice. After an extensive selection process, CYVYC chose five state teams from Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and South Carolina to join the existing Community of Practice with the original state teams from Georgia, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Each state team is co-led by a youth with I/DD. Community of Practice members work across state teams to create sustainable systemic reform and support CYVYC Youth Ambassadors to be leaders for change.

CYVYC is a partnership between the Institute for Community Inclusion, Center for Public Representation, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and the Georgia Advocacy Office. Learn more about the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice, alternatives to guardianship in your state, the CYVYC state teams, and the youth ambassadors who lead CYVYC’s work.