Your Child With Disabilities Is Turning 18 (On-Demand Virtual Class)

For Parents, Caregivers and Youth Nearing Adulthood

Class Description

This on-demand virtual class is for parents and caregivers of youth in their late teens who will need ongoing support as adults or help with legal decision-making. Attorneys from the Washington Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) present information about:

• Supported decision-making
• Durable power of attorney (DPOA) 
• Legal guardianship
• Conservatorship

Here is a copy of the presentation (PDF) that you can follow along with.

Watch recorded videos in Spanish or Vietnamese from previous classes.

Please Share Your Feedback

Was this class helpful? Please provide your feedback by taking our class survey (this should take no more than 1 minute to complete). You can also email your feedback directly to us at mlp@seattlechildrens.org.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if I need help filing for guardianship?

Very few resources are available for this type of help. In a few Washington counties, volunteer attorney programs provide limited assistance to low-income families.

Resources on Guardianship and Alternatives

King County Family Law Facilitators

Help with understanding paperwork needed for filing for guardianship and other family court processes. Facilitators can help review forms but cannot help fill them out for you.

Reporting to the Court for Guardians and Conservators

Video and information from Washington Courts on how to complete reporting to the court as a guardian and/or conservator.

Washington Courts

Washington Courts holds free, monthly, 90-minute virtual Information Sessions for Lay Guardians.

• No registration is required.
• Offered in English only.
• If you cannot attend an Information Session live, you can watch a recording or read the text from the Washington Courts session.

Handouts, fact sheets and sample forms

Northwest Justice Project

• Adult Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Protective Arrangements, Northwest Justice Project
• Alternatives to Guardianship: Practical Considerations, Washington Medical-Legal Partnership
• Alternatives to Guardianship: Supported Decision Making Agreements (available in Russian and Spanish), Northwest Justice Project
• Durable Power of Attorney Documents (available in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese), Northwest Justice Project
• Your Child With Disabilities Is Turning 18 (available in Spanish), Northwest Justice Project

Public benefits as youth with disabilities turn 18

• Legal Transition to Adulthood: Public Benefits. This virtual presentation is led by Attorneys from the Washington Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP). You can watch the video or follow along with the presentation slides. The class covers:
  • Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) benefits
  • Washington Apple Health/Medicaid
  • In-Home Care
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Financial planning to maintain eligibility.
  • Tips for receiving benefits, appeals for denials, terminations, and reductions.

Federal benefits

• SSI (Supplemental Security Income)
• Sample Rental Agreement to Avoid Reduction in SSI (available in Spanish), Washington Medical-Legal Partnership

State benefits

• DDA (Developmental Disabilities Administration) – Washington State agency providing support and services to Washingtonians with developmental disabilities
• Apple Health – Washington State medical assistance programs, including Medicaid

Organizations that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

• The Arc of Washington State – provides services and programs
• Informing Families – provides information and support

Questions about this on-demand virtual class?

Call 206-987-5942 or email mlp@seattlechildrens.org.