In the early1980s, I was working at a Regional Center in Northern California. Regional Centers provide or coordinate services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. At that time, individuals weren’t very involved in any aspects of directing their own lives. As an advocate for person-centered practices, I started collecting and writing plain language information that would make it easier for individuals to take an active part in planning their own services and supports. That original collection of planning tools was published by Colleen Wieck of the Minnesota State Council on Developmental Disabilities. It was titled Read My Lips and is still available from the Council as It’s My Choice.
Recently, I was asked to revise It’s My Choice by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) in collaboration with Mary Lou Bourne and some great staff from DDS. The goal was to develop a guide for individuals and families who are preparing for their Individual Program Planning (IPP) meeting using person-centered tools. This customized guide is known as Your Plan.
The new guide includes a workbook to help individuals identify their preferences, strengths, and goals, as well as tips for conducting planning meetings and assessing their success. It also provides resources for effective communication, appeals and complaints, and self-advocacy. Overall, the guide aims to support individuals and their families in creating and maintaining effective service plans.
It will be available as a on or offline pdf fillable document. Here is the download for the print version. It will be translated into the 10 threshold languages of California and module formats will be available as well. We have also completed a version for families of youngsters, early teens and young adults titled Your Child’s Plan which will be completed soon.
It’s been an amazing full circle experience for me and I could not have imagined a more perfect ending to my professional life.
