Why PersonCentered Planning

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Why Person-Centered Planning?
Jim Mayer, Transition SpecialistRural Champaign
County Special Education CooperativeRantoul,
IL 217-892-8877 or jmayer_at_roe9.k12.il.us
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Person-Centered Planning What is it?

• Person-centered planning is a way for people with
  disabilities, at any age, and their families to
  explore their dreams for the future and take a
  leadership role in designing plans that will make
  those dreams a reality.

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IEPs, ISPs, and IWRPs

• agency-based service plans
• person-centered plans as a guide
• Person-centered plan
• not a recipe

People with disabilities have IEPs, IWRPs, ISPs
and IHPs. Me, I just p. Ernest
Panscofar
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Person-Centered Planning Further Defined

• Person-centered plans guide development of
  agency-driven planning documents
• A person-centered plan is broader in scope and
  not confined by an agencys mission and
  resources.
• Goals in a person-centered plan may be met
  through traditional service delivery or through
  creative, non-traditional means

Butterworth, J., Hagner, D., Heikkinen, B.,
Faris, S., DeMello, S. McDonough, K. (1993)
Whole Life Planning A Guide for Organizers and
Facilitators. Institute on Community Inclusion,
Boston, MA.
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Evolving to Person-Centered Practices

• Characteristic of systems
• Needed paradigm shift
• Determining preferences and interests for people
  with disabilities

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Reframe! Not your same old planning meetings

• Shifting from system-centered to person-centered
• Recognizing potential barriers
• Attitudes
• Fear
• Control
• Change

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Different models Common values

• Promoting consumer choice
• Promoting new ways of communicating
• Promoting new ways of assessing desires,
  strengths and needs
• Promoting new ways of planning, delivering and
  evaluating services and supports

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Benefits of Person-Centered Planning

• focusing on the total person
• recognizing individual desires and interests
• discovering new ways of thinking about the future
  of a person who has a disability
• establishing relationships among agencies
• focusing on capacities instead of deficiencies

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Person-Centered Planning is NOT

• Setting unrealistic goals
• Ignoring limitations and constraints
• Limited to current available services
• A one-time event
• A segmented view of a persons life

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A Stepwise Process for Person-Centered Planning

• Step 1 Knowledge
• Step 2 Create Circle
• Step 3 Dream
• Step 4 Resources
• Step 5 Implement
• Step 6 Evaluate

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Step 1 Knowledge
(Song Getting to Know You - The King
and I)

• To help someone while also maximizing their
  control
• Get to know that person
• Learn about his/her formative events
• Describe the persons present situation
• ID the persons likes, dislikes, abilities,
  needs, successes, challenges, skills, gifts

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Step 2 Create Circle
(Song Youll Never walk Alone -
Carousel)

• Using what you know about the person
• Help them ID people who can form a support group
  must care about the person and be willing to make
  a commitment
• Encourage choosing people of varying backgrounds
  interests (paid unpaid)
• Work together to become a team focused on helping
  the person improve their life

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Step 3 Dream
(Song The Impossible Dream -
Man of La Mancha)

• All circle members need to spend time to help the
  person figure out their dream
• Members and the person can share information
  about the dream
• Come to a consensus about the best course of
  action (basic plan)

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Step 4 Resources
(Song If I Were a Rich Man - Fiddler On
the Roof)

• What resources are available and how can they be
  maximized?
• Start with circle members and their connections

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Step 4 Resources (Continued)

• Look to the community natural supports
• Tailor services to the persons needs
• Be cautious about quick fix solutions

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Step 5 Implement
(Song Gonna Build a Mountain - Stop the
World)

• Ask circle members to volunteer for tasks
• Set target dates for completion of tasks
• Give regular progress reports to the person
• Get ideas from other circle members if forward
  motion slows/stops

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Step 6 Evaluate
(Song Reviewing the Situation -
Oliver)

• Remember that life is a process we all grow,
  change, and dreams evolve
• Make sure you know the person now
• Be prepared to elicit the dream again as the
  person gains confidence
• Chart the persons progress toward goals
• Celebrate milestones successes!

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Sources

• Remer, Brian. Dream Quest A game to teach the
  dynamic process of person-centered planning.
  Monadnock Developmental Services, Keene, NH.
• Rehabilitation Services Administration Region V
  CRP-RCEP. Person-Centered Planning Its Not Just
  about a Meeting. University of Illinois at
  Urbana-Champaign.
• Illinois State Board of Education. TOTAL
  Transition Outreach Training for Adult Living.
  Springfield, IL.

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Review Six Steps for Person-Centered Planning

• Step 1 Knowledge
• Step 2 Create Circle
• Step 3 Dream
• Step 4 Resources
• Step 5 Implement
• Step 6 Evaluate

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Application Activities

• Step 1 Knowledge
• Activities Community Presence Map
• Preferences
• Gifts Capacities
  List
• Step 2 Create Circle
• Activity Circle of Support Map
• Step 3 Dream
• Activity Desired Future Lifestyle

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Step 1 Knowledge/ 1st Activity

• Community Presence Map
• Where do I go?
• Frequency and variety

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Community Presence Map
Four Wheeling
Bike Riding
Archery Center
2-3x/wk
2x/mo
1x/mo
Shopping
2x/yr
St. Louis
1-2x/mo
Visit Grandma
1x/wk
5x/wk
Job ½ Day Cafeteria
HOME
Fishing
Very often
1x/mo
Vacation
1x/yr
See Aunt Millie Shopping/Movie
1x/mo
2x/yr
Special Olympics
Support Group
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Community Presence Map
HOME
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Step 1 Knowledge/ 2nd Activity

• Preferences
• Things that work
• Things that dont work
• Most important preferences

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Joes Preferences
PREFERENCES
THINGS THAT WORK
THINGS THAT DONT WORK

• Fishing
• Watching TV late
• Listening to headphones
• Nintendo
• Stereo
• Shopping
• Riding bike
• Playing basketball
• Four-wheeling
• Outdoors
• Work/money
• Loading the dishwasher at work
• Cutting the grass

• Brushing his teeth
• Putting rubber bands on his braces
• Working the window at the cafeteria
• Cleaning the house or his room
• Indoors
• People with bad attitudes
• Bullies

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Likes and Dislikes
PREFERENCES
THINGS THAT WORK
THINGS THAT DONT WORK
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Step 1 Knowledge/ 3rd Activity

• Gifts and Capacities List
• What parents say when they brag
• Strengths

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Joes Gifts
GIFTS AND CAPACITIES LIST
Joe is

• - A good worker - Friendly
• - Consistent - Neat/Clean
• - Very Responsible - Fun
• - Helpful - Honest
• - Caring - Always on time

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GIFTS AND CAPACITIES LIST
? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
?
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Step 2 Create Circle/ Activity

• Circle of Support Map
• Identify important relationships
• People to invite

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Circle of Support Map
School Staff
Jim
Mr. Mayes
Mr. McDonald
Penny
School
Connie
Christine
Clay
Carl
Bill
Shane
Lonnie
Mr. Lester
Mr. Kurtz
Sam H.
Gary
Candy
Special Olympics
Will F.
Parent Group
Anita
Matt
dentist
Sara
Joe
Jenny
Jan
Linda
Ron
Sharon
Uncle John
Barb others
Pat
Lacy
Will D.
Stacy
Mom
Aunt Jane
Mark
Grandma
Betty
Jean
Tim
Kamisha
Janelle
Halley
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Circle of Support Map
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A Challenging Vision of the Future

• Recognizing that one can have a disability and
  also have an enviable life.
• Vision over visibility. Having a vision is not
  just planning for a future we already know how to
  get to. It is daring to dream about what is
  possible. (Janet Vohs, parent)

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Step 3 Dream/ Activity - Lifestyle Planning

• Challenging vision of the future
• Desired living situation
• Desired work
• Desired leisure/recreation
• Dare to Dream

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Where will Joe live?
Joe plans on living with his parents after
graduation. In the long term he would like to
live in a suburban area. He would like to live
in a house rather than an apartment. He would
also like to have a roommate, rather than living
alone. Public transportation would need to be
available.
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What will Joe do for work?
Joe would like to have a job working as a
groundskeeper, maybe at a school or for a
landscaping service. The ideal job would be
working with others, outdoors, and he would be
able to wear headphones sometimes.
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What will Joe do for fun?
Joe expects to continue fishing often. In the
future, he would like to participate in archery
and other sports, like basketball. He wants to
go to hockey games and baseball games
occasionally. He also wants to continue
collecting baseball cards. Joe would like to do
some of these activities with friends from school
and new friends he might meet, possibly at work.
He wants to make new friends at the archery
center.
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Desired Future Lifestyle
Where will this person live? What will the
person do during the day and where will he/she do
it? What will the person do for fun and
recreation?
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Application Activities- Continued

• Step 4 Resources
• Activity Potential
  Consultants/Resources
• Step 5 Implement
• Activity Action Steps
• Step 6 Evaluate
• Activities Re-look at the Plan
• Team Development
  Scale

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Step 4 Resources Activity-Potential
Consultants/Resources

• The focus person/planning circle are encouraged
  to think of people and organizations that can be
  of help in the planning/dreaming process.
• The team should think about traditional and
  nontraditional resources.
• Utilize connections and networking
• Think outside the box

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Step 5 Implement Activity-Action
Steps/Responsible Parties

• Activities and Who
• Initial steps to the future
• Consider natural and generic, then formal
• Volunteer responsibility
• Whenever possible, focus person will assume
  responsibility or co-responsibility
• Ensure early success

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Joes Action Steps
ACTION STEPS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
Activities
Who
Joe. Mom, Dad, and all other circle members Joe,
with assistance from his team leader (Mr.
Mayes). Joe, Mr.Mayes, Instructor Joe, Mom, Dad,
Mr. Mayes Joe, Vocational Coordinator
Attend IEP/Transition Planning Meeting Self-direct
at least a part of the IEP/Transition Planning
Meeting Take Drivers Education Class Invite ORS
Representative to Meeting Get a job
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Step 5 Implement- Activity (Cont.) Necessary
Systems Change

• The focus person and his/her planning circle
  are
• encouraged to recommend changes in the way
  services are currently being provided
• To make the dream possible
• To be more customer-friendly
• To help service providers think more creatively
• To perhaps benefit others with similar concerns

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Changes for Joes Success
Necessary Changes in Service System

• Families should be given better explanation of
  available services (the earlier the better).
• All students should have the opportunity to do
  person-centered planning and students should be
  able to lead their own IEP/transition planning
  meetings as Joe is doing.
• It is a problem that there is a waiting list for
  supported employment services.

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ACTION STEPS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
Activities Who
NECESSARY CHANGES IN SERVICE DELIVERY
1. 2. 3.
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Step 6 Evaluation Activity-Re-look at the Plan
(pg. 1)

• Did the focus person have the opportunity to
  actively participate in the development of
  his/her plan?
• Did family and/or friends with a stake in the
  persons future have the opportunity to
  participate?
• Does the plan include statements about the
  persons needs, preferences, and future lifestyle
  choices?
• Do the goals/objectives reflect the opportunity
  to learn skills of self-determination and
  independence?

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Re-look at the Plan (Continued)

• Do goals/objectives reflect movement toward the
  persons chosen future lifestyle?
• Do the goals/objectives promote acquisition of
  vocational skills?
• Do the goals/objectives provide opportunities for
  developing self-advocacy skills?
• How will services meet goals/needs?
• What are the persons opportunities to develop
  relationships and participate in the community?
• What services/supports will be obtained from
  generic agencies or natural supports?

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Step 6 Evaluate Activity-Team Development Scale

• Developed by William G. Dyer
• An excellent self-evaluation tool for the
  planning circle and its members.
• The best answers are obvious the circle needs
  to ask, how can we do better?
• Best used in an atmosphere of positive
  encouragement and accountability.

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Community Planning Through Interagency
Collaboration

• Where once there may have been barriers,
  rivalries, and distrust, the quality company
  fosters teamwork and partnerships with the
  workforce and their representatives. This
  partnership is not a pretense, a new look of an
  old battle. It is a common struggle for the
  customers, not separate struggles for power.
• - Peter Scholtes in The Team Handbook

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Ways to encourage equal partnership

• Hold equality as a team value.
• Bring all agencies and members on at the same
  time.
• Avoid the Tower of Babble, i.e., jargon,
  acronyms, etc.
• Use meeting processes that promote equality.
• Use consensus as the decision making model.

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Ways to encourage equal partnership

• If enough people cant attend a meeting, cancel
  it.
• Rotate meeting places among agencies.
• Give people access to the decision making process
  early.
• Give each member equal access to training
  opportunities and other special resources.

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Leadership

• To lead people, walk beside them . . .
• As for the best leaders, the people do not notice
  their existence.
• The next best, the people honor and praise.
• The next, the people fear
• And the next, the people hate . . .
• When the best leaders work is done the people
  say,
• We did it ourselves!

Lao-tsu