Which statement best describes the E component in AE Decision?

• A. Empower means you trust participants to decide how they participate, which conveys that you believe in them
• B. Empower means staff decide all participant actions
• C. Empower means participants must request permission for each task
• D. Empower means participants should avoid risk completely

Answer: (A)

Empowerment in AE Decision means trusting participants to decide how they participate, showing you believe in their abilities. In practice, this means offering choices and encouraging ownership of their actions while still providing safety boundaries and support. When you empower someone, you give them a voice in what they attempt and how they engage, which helps build confidence, responsibility, and learning from experience.

Options that suggest staff control every action, require permission for each task, or insist that participants avoid risk entirely miss the point of empowerment. Those ideas undermine participant autonomy, micromanage the activity, or set an impossible safety standard, which blunts growth and decision-making skills that empowerment aims to develop.