Guardianship & Other Decision-Making Options

When your child turns 18, your child gets all the legal rights of an adult, no matter how severe his or her disabilities. This means that you may not be able to be involved in decisions about your child’s healthcare, education, and finances unless you take action.

One way to keep making decisions for your child is to become his or her guardian. Becoming your child’s legal guardian takes away all your child’s legal rights, so it’s a very significant step. Additionally, becoming a guardian also involves court oversight of your decisions as guardian. For participants who are able to make some decisions, there are other legal decision-making arrangements that provide some decision-making help to your child while not taking away all your child’s rights, such as guardian advocacy.

Below are links to some information about guardianship and other options to help you know more. It is important to get the help of an attorney when deciding on and setting up any legal decision-making arrangements. The information provided below does not constitute legal advice, and everyone’s situation is different. You can find out more about choosing and working with an attorney in the Lighting the Way guide and this web page from the Florida Bar.

Please note that this information is specific to Florida. Each state’s laws on guardianship and decision-making options are different.

Expand each drop-down below to find the resources. You can learn something even if you just have a little time!

• Tell me the basics – Quick overviews you can read in just a few minutes. These highlight the most important ideas so you can get started fast.

• Show me more info – A deeper explanation for when you want to build your understanding. These provide examples, context, and additional details.

• Give me all the details – Comprehensive resources like full websites, long documents, or webinars. These are best when you want thorough answers and in-depth learning.