Person Centered Outcomes

Person centered planning is learning how people want to live, about what is important to someone in everyday life and discovering someone might want to live in the future. However, as Michael Smull has said, “a plan is not an outcome.” And as Helen Sanderson has said “Outcomes describe the specific things that the person … Read more

Listen to Me! (fillable pdf version)

Download Listen to Me! here (Spanish version download here). LTM was developed at a time when Essential Lifestyle Planning (ELP) was one of the gold standards of person-centered planning. While it still sets a high standard, since that time, many other methods of planning with individuals for the lives they want to lead have been … Read more

Third Places And Community Connectors

In his book The Great Good Place, Oldenburg writes about what he refers to as “Third Places,” those places in every community where locals gather to visit, share news and be among others. Such places are a great spot to meet the neighborhood “connectors” (those people who know everyone else) and to assist someone to … Read more

The Many Hats of a Regional Center Service Coordinator

A California Regional Center service coordinator helps people with developmental disabilities and their families get the services and supports they need. Service coordinators wear many hats! They meet with the person and family, write and update the person’s individual plan, find and arrange services and supports (like education and training, job supports, housing), check that … Read more

Effective Ways that Regional Center Service Coordinators Can Advocate for Individuals with IDD and Their Families

Summary: Service coordinators can be strong, practical advocates — inside the  regional center and across systems — by using the IPP process, documenting needs, coordinating assessments and services, negotiating with vendors/schools/health plans, and connecting families with legal/advocacy resources when needed. Below are specific actions they can take, limits to their authority, a simple step-by-step checklist families can use, and sample … Read more

We Have Human Rights

by the Harvard Project on Disability (www.hpod.org) Welcome to the power of human rights. This book is for people with developmental disabilities. You can use it to learn about your rights. You can also use it to talk with others about your rights. When you speak up for yourself, you are a self-advocate. When you work … Read more