The disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) is offering FREE legal assistance to individuals with disabilities to create their own Advance Directive or Supported Decision-making Plan.
An Advance Directive (AD) is a legal document that lets you state your preferences for health care if you become unable to make your own decisions. Having an AD can help your loved ones and health care providers better care for you. When you can’t care for yourself or tell your loved ones what you want, your AD can! You can even state your preferences for emergency mental health care. Virginia law requires health care providers to follow your AD in most situations.
If you are a person with a disability, having a Supported Decision-making Plan, or SDMP, helps you make decisions on your own. When you make an SDMP, you choose “supporters” to help you make choices. Your supporters can be people you trust, like friends, family members, or professionals. They agree to help you understand your options so you can make the right decisions for yourself, and tell others about your choices. Sometimes an SDMP can even be an alternative to guardianship.
To learn more, contact Rhonda Thissen, dLCV Senior Disability Rights Advocate, at 800-552-3962 or Rhonda.Thissen@dlcv.org.
dLCV can provide information, technical assistance and, in some cases, legal representation. You can reach our office by calling 1-800-552-3962 (toll-free) or 804-225-2042 to request assistance OR complete the Online Request for dLCV Services.
Our services are free of charge. If you don’t speak English, we have access to a “language line” that helps us communicate with you in your own language. Let our staff know your preferred language and we will contact the language line to bring a representative on the line who can interpret.
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