by Steve Holburn, Anne Gordon, and Peter M. Vietze; 92 pages. Subtitle: The PICTURE Method
Many parents have wondered what happens to our kids when they outgrow school and its attempts at mainstreaming and have to find a life in the adult world. "Person-centered planning" is like the real-world version of inclusion, looking to find placements for individuals in the wider community rather than gather them together in self-contained institutions. Reading the book is a little like being in an IEP meeting, but at least it's an upbeat one.
- Offers an easy-to-understand description of an increasingly popular practice
- Shows how professionals who support a particular plan go about putting it in place
- Includes forms for measuring the success of both the plan and the planning
- Though not written for parents, text is jargon-free and accessible
- Presents an upbeat and positive vision of our children's future
- Also presents a vision of our children's future as something planned by committee
- Not all communities, families, and individuals may be ready for this program
- While parents can learn much from the book, it's really for professionals and agencies
- Chapter 1: Person-Centered Planning and PICTURE
- Chapter 2: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Chapter 3: Using Evaluation to Improve the PICTURE
- Chapter 4: Tools to Use With PICTURE: A Troubleshooter's Guide, Questionnaires, and Worksheets
"Person-centered planning" attempts to focus planning for people with disabilities on their particular wishes and goals, rather on what's most cost-effective or convenient for service providers. While there's acknowledgment in Person-Centered Planning Made Easy that community living may not be an appropriate goal for everybody, the authors show a clear preference and enthusiasm for that option, and challenge agencies, professionals, and families to make it work.
Or rather, challenge professionals to challenge families, because this isn't really a book for parents. It's full of questionnaires for agencies to make sure their practices are the best, and strategies for getting all the many participants in the planning process on the same page. It's certainly a parent-friendly process, one in which the family's point of view is respected and the language is purposely made comprehensible. But reading this from a professional's point of view is kind of like being in the most rah-rah IEP meeting ever. Hopeful, but somewhat less in your control than you'd like.
Still, I think this book -- particularly the first couple of chapters that spell out the rationale for person-centered planning and the practical aspects of getting it going, are worthwhile and thought-provoking reading for parents, particularly those of us quickly facing big decisions for maturing offspring. As inclusion has become the trend in schooling, so community living seems to be the up-and-comer in placement for adults with special needs, and we will need to be in a position to promote it (with books like this to prove that we didn't just make it up) or present well-thought-out reasons it's not right for our kids. We'll also have to make sure our communities can rise to the occasion of accepting our young adults with open arms, or at least not closed fists.
This upbeat vision of our children's future is encouraging and empowering, though the companion vision of our children's future planning being in the hands of a large swarm of professionals can be somewhat daunting. If you're going to be a full member of that team, might as well read the playbook.
