Nassim: Britney Spears, Amanda Bynes and why their cases are making advocates think twice
Many of us watched as pop icon Britney Spears' thirteen-year convenorship finally ended in November 2021 after a weeks-long battle in the courts during which she alleged financial abuse from her father, Jamie Spears. Separately, former child actress Amanda Bynes was recently released from her own conservatorship in late March, after 9 years following a period of significant mental health issues. Such high-profile names have brought the issue of conservatorship and guardianship into the spotlight. However, in the disability community, establishment of guardianship or conservatorship is more common. Even though I am pleased to see that Spears and Bynes were able to have their conservatorships dissolved, this is less common in the case of people with disabilities. Not that it does not happen at all, but once guardianship or conservatorship is established, it is often a rare and sometimes a difficult occurrence to see it eliminated. Understanding the difference between these t