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“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
Person-Centered Planning Can Create a Destination…
And Find the Path(s) That Can Lead You/Your Child TherePerson-centered planning is a broad term used to describe an intentional, deliberate approach to planning for and with the person with a disability, rather than waiting for and fearing the future. It is an ongoing process; can any of us truly plan the rest of our lives in one sitting? Because the process is fluid and continuous, it allows for changes in life’s circumstances and the needs of the individual. Those involved in the planning are people who know and care about the individual. They ensure that the plan accurately reflects the needs and desires of the individual. This results in a plan that truly works for that individual.
The idea of person-centered planning has evolved over the last 20 years, resulting in a variety of methods. Some of the more recognizable include Personal Futures Planning, MAPS, PATH, and Essential Lifestyle Planning. Different approaches were designed to deal with different issues (challenging behavior, the development of relationships, or gaining more of what matters to the person with the disability), but they all share a common set of beliefs:
- The person at the focus of planning, and those who love the person, are the primary authorities on the person's life direction. The essential questions are: "Who is this person?" and "What community opportunities will enable this person to pursue his or her interests in a positive way?"
- The purpose of person centered planning is learning through shared action.
- Person centered planning aims to change common patterns of community life. Person centered planning stimulates community hospitality and enlists community members in assisting focus people to define and work toward a desirable future.
- Person centered planning requires collaborative action and challenges practices that separate people and perpetuate controlling relationships.
- Honest person centered planning can only come from respect for the dignity and completeness of the focus person.
- Assisting people to define and pursue a desirable future tests one's clarity, commitment and courage.
If thinking about the future for your child is frightening or overwhelming, you’re not alone. The future concerns most parents, even those who don’t live with disability. Person-centered planning can move you (and your child) from the paralysis of fear to an action-oriented plan with hopes and dreams for the future.
Articles about Person-Centered Planning and the various methods available:
On Choice
Seven Questions
It's My ChoiceThe Origins of Person-Centered Planning
Person centered planning, should we do it with everyone?
Increasing Person-Centered Thinking: Improving the Quality of Person-Centered Planning
Finding a Way to Everyday Lives: The Contribution of Person-Centered Planning
Person-Centered Planning: A Tool for TransitionA Resource List on Person-Centered Planning
Person Centered Planning Education SiteMAPs and PATHs - A Family Perspective
Common Sense Tools: MAPS & CIRCLES for Inclusive Education
Person-Centered Planning: Maps and Paths to the Future
Never Too Early, a Guide to Personal Futures Planning
Making Futures Happen
http://www.transitioncoalition.org/planning for the future (A Workbook to Help Young Adults with Disabilities, Their Families, and Professionals to Plan for Living, Working and Participating in the Community)
Texas Resources:
http://tcds.edb.utexas.edu/Peoplefamplan.html
The Texas Center for Disability Studies at the University of Texas has a focus on person-centered planning and is in the process of training mentor families. For more information, or to find a mentor to help you create your own person-centered plan, Contact Shelley Dumas or Laura Buckner at (512) 232-0740.Real Life – The Arc of Texas grant program to create solutions for people with disabilities to live community based lives. It begins with Person Centered Planning. For more information, please contact Lisa Rivers at 1-800-252-9729.
Texas Project FIRST is an activity of the Texas Continuing Improvement Process (TCIP) under the auspices of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Region 9 Education Service Center, and is focused on helping to fulfill the goals of TEA and the Parent Training Committee
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