Supported Self-Directed Living (SSDL) occurs when an individual is supported to exercise choice and control over his or her own life and to become a valued, participating member of society. It is an approach to facilitating access to the places where ordinary, everyday life is conducted, in ordinary ways, doing ordinary things with typical people.

Genio developed an SSDL training programme in partnership with experts in the United States to help shape the supports which staff and families provide to people with disabilities in Ireland. At the heart of this programme was the “discovery” process which supports people with disabilities to express their will and preference in terms of the type of life they want to live. The training was used across a range of disability services such as day supports and respite but has had the most profound impact on people supported to live in mainstream community settings as they transition from large, congregated (institutional) settings. The impact of giving people real choices about the type of life they want to live and building their skills and confidence to make those choices, has been profound.

The films below demonstrate the impact of a self-directed approach on people moving from congregated settings and the positive knock-on effect on staff and services as a whole.