This paper reports on a focus group discussion held in June, 1998, in Killington, Vermont, about a 3-year project in Vermont to encourage the self-determination of people with developmental disabilities. The project has involved training of four project teams, each composed of a person with a developmental disability, a family member, and a person experienced in providing services. The responses of the 60 focus group participants are summarized in a model of self-determination involving different aspects of the individual, sources of support, and life processes and a selection of their comments concerning their understanding of self-determination, what support includes, and examples of self-determination. Also reported are system challenges identified by the group such as accounting for the system's money in a way that is clear to people and their families and potential pitfalls such as exclusion of people based on unwarranted assumptions. Finally, the most important contributions of the self-determination project are identified including strengthening of self-advocacy organizations, realization by agency managers of new ways to foster self-determination, and a reconsideration of many aspects of case management. (DB)