By: Heather Catallo: Complete Post through this link…
A Wayne County Probate Judge recently made a historic decision. Instead of putting a Dearborn Heights woman under guardianship, he allowed her to retain her independence with something called Supported Decision-Making.
If you’re put under guardianship, that means a court has declared you legally incapacitated. You lose the right to get married, decide what doctor you want to see, or even choose where you want to live. Now one woman with an intellectual disability has shown the state that there is another tool families can use that’s less extreme than guardianship.
A Wayne County Probate Judge recently made a historic decision. Instead of putting a Dearborn Heights woman under guardianship, he allowed her to retain her independence with something called Supported Decision-Making.
Linda VanWormer
By: Heather CatalloPosted at 4:13 PM, Mar 17, 2023 and last updated 5:55 PM, Mar 17, 2023
(WXYZ) — A Wayne County Probate Judge recently made a historic decision. Instead of putting a Dearborn Heights woman under guardianship, he allowed her to retain her independence with something called Supported Decision-Making.
If you’re put under guardianship, that means a court has declared you legally incapacitated. You lose the right to get married, decide what doctor you want to see, or even choose where you want to live. Now one woman with an intellectual disability has shown the state that there is another tool families can use that’s less extreme than guardianship.
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Linda VanWormer loves her job. The 56-year-old works at STEP (Services to Enhance Potential) in Dearborn. She also just made history in Michigan.
That’s because Wayne County Chief Probate Judge Freddie Burton Junior just issued an order, denying a petition that would have put Linda under guardianship. Instead, he granted her the freedom to make her own choices using something called Supported Decision-Making, or SDM.
“I do call the shots now,” Linda told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.
