Reimagining Self-Determination in Research, Education, and Disability Services and Supports

Abstract

After decades of work to advance policy, research, and practice focused on self-determination for people with disabilities, the importance of self-determination is widely acknowledged in education and disability service systems. While the benefits of the growing recognition of the importance of self-determination have been many, there have also been some unintended consequences. One such consequence has been the de-centering of disabled leadership and subsequent confusion about whether the term self-determination refers to an outcome, a program, an intervention, a value, a right, or a movement. In this article, written by an inclusive team of authors, we invite readers to join us in reimagining self-determination, considering ways to further contextualize the concept of self-determination within the practical reality of its application. We offer a discussion of the necessity of continuing to center lived disability expertise and implications for policy, research, and practice in this reimagined approach to self-determination.