Over 1 million website views since 1996
Although written in 1993, this piece still contains great stories of supported living from California. PrefaceAt one point in completing this work, we were overwhelmed by how it could easily go wrong. That is, we could just paint a picture called Supported Living and hope for the best as people tried to reproduce it. Instead, … Read more
Dr. Lou Brown: In the past, segregated schools were common, and we began questioning their impact on individuals with disabilities as they transitioned into adulthood. We realized that segregated schools often led to limited opportunities, such as placement in day activity centers, because they did not prepare individuals to participate in meaningful activities in the … Read more
Another excellent article on person-first and identity first language. Here’s an excerpt: Throughout the disability community, preferences on how to refer to people vary widely, which was reflected in a poll we conducted of our social media followers. We had 129 people answer our poll and share their opinions on this topic. Here were the … Read more
The foundations of person-centered planning, thinking and practices are rooted in the writings of a number of individuals. Here are some of the key figures often thought of as the “architects” of person-centered planning. In addition, a brief history of The Learning Community as well as a listing of foundational articles. You can find it … Read more
Below you will find a partial list of articles that provide context to the evolution of The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices:
While written some thirty years ago this piece, by Michael Smull and Susan Burke Harrison, is a classic and one of the first pieces written about person-centered planning and thinking in action. It deserves a read or reread. The handbook presents the tools needed to develop better community capacity to support people with “severe reputations.’ … Read more
Read the story and the reminder of the tension between language change and meaningful action in disability advocacy. “From morons, to the feebleminded, to patients, to the retarded, to clients, and now consumers. You do that and then you go home feeling self-satisfied that you’ve just done something good and important for people like my … Read more
While we have an incredible workforce of trainers for developing person-centered plans, we have not paid as much attention to what happens after the plan. This issue includes a quick summary (adapted from Foothold Technology) of the process. This summary is followed by a classic article written by Michael Smull which dives deep into the … Read more
By Michael SmullMarch 2020 Having rituals that I choose, that are followed, is also comforting. For most of us, our rituals are disrupted daily in some way. To cope, we cling to those rituals that remain and establish new rituals within our new reality. We seek ways to comfort ourselves and rituals and routines are … Read more
Understanding culture is important to person-centered thinking, planning, and practices. Culture influences how we view health, mental health, well-being, illness, and disability. Culture influences what a person believes is important to them and their families. Since we are all cultural beings, programs striving to deliver person-centered thinking, planning, and practices must be responsive to culture. … Read more
Thank you for your download, we hope you are satisfied with our software.