More About Person-Centered Planning

What is Person-Centered Planning?

• Process to help people with disabilities plan for their future
• Focused on the person with disabilities
• Strengths-based practice based on the person’s interests, preferences, skills, and abilities
• Customized to the individual with disabilities and their vision and dreams
• Good framework for planning and making decisions
• Awareness of and sensitivity to the person’s capabilities, lifestyle, and cultural background
• Involves people who care who will help support the person on their path to success – his or her own personal network

Why use Person-Centered Planning?

• Families, educators, and other professionals will achieve more positive outcomes for the person with the disability while working together towards a common goal
• Brainstorming process that focuses on collaboration, creativity, possibilities/choices, and finding solutions which leads to increased teamwork and accountability
• More accurate reflection of the person’s goals and what is needed to help them reach those goals – skills, abilities, instruction, experiences, services, supports
• Person with disabilities will have control over their life; their voice is heard
• Long-term community supports are put in place which increases community participation and enhances social supports

How can Person-Centered Planning be utilized in School Transition Plans?

• Allows the student to participate more actively in their transition planning – being more active leads to more positive vocational rehabilitation outcomes
• Enhances the quality of assessment and planning activities
• Helps build positive working relationships between students, families, and professionals
• Better collaboration and coordination of supports and services
• Creates roadmaps – choices, options, opportunities, experiences, steps to get to where the student wants to be
• Focuses on a student’s self-determination and self-advocacy
• Connects families to adult service agencies before the student leaves high school
• Helps identify and build natural supports in the community
• Helps students make a smooth transition from school to adult life – focus on the student’s dreams for a preferred future
• Helpful tool to use when developing individualized program plans as a part of the person’s adult services after school

Person-Centered Planning Questions to Brainstorm and Discuss

The LifeCourse One-Page Profile is a person-centered tool that provides a quick, visual snapshot of an individual’s strengths, needs, and support strategies. It includes what people admire about the person, what’s most important to them, and how to best support them across settings.

This one-pager can be shared with teachers, therapists, doctors, caregivers, family members, and others to help ensure consistent, person-centered support—whether at school, at home, or in the community.

Adapted from the Charting the LifeCourse framework, this tool helps communicate who a person is, what matters most to them, and how they can thrive.

Download the One Page Profile here.