Person Centered Planning

As a Transition II teacher , one of my responsibilities is to help parents begin to think about what is going to happen for their students after the age of 22 years.  For the last two decades, the school system has been a major player in your child's life and in his/her planning for the future.  Now, as they come to adulthood, all of that changes.  Now, it is only the parent and your "circle of support" members to plan for the growth of the individual with disabilities.  There will be no more annual IEP meeting to remind you another year has passed.  No teacher will recognize changes in your student and call together a group of specialist to discuss what should happen in response to this change.  This responsibility is for the parent to carry and lead. 

 

This can be a big shift, a HUGE step for a family to take on.  So to help you begin thinking about this new responsibility I want to introduce the PATH (Planning Alternatives for Tomorrow with Hope).  The PATH is a meeting held outside of the school setting and facilitated by Sharon Bottorff from Arc of Williamson Co.  She will help you choose a location that feels safe and inviting to you and your adult with a disability.  Then it is YOUR responsibility to think who supports you, who supports your adult with a disability, and whose support you want in the future, etc.  With these individuals, you sit down and begin to dream with and for your child with a disability.  You dream big dreams, without limits, for what you see your child doing with his/her time, strengths, learning abilities. . . life.  Then once a 'path' has been set out in front of the group, it will be easier to create milestones, reminders and check-ins to help you manage the next phase of life for your child with a disability. 

 

This process is also extremely helpful for me as a Transition II teacher as well.  If your vision for your student is to volunteer in a church then I WANT TO KNOW THAT!  If you expect your student to live independently I WANT TO KNOW THAT.  It is not helpful for me to find out in his/her last semester of school that you plan to enroll the student in a day program.  I could have used the years I had with the student preparing him/her for that setting.  Therefore, the earlier this PATH is completed the more effective Transition II will be and the more prepared your student will be for the next phase of life. 

 

For more information you may wish to contact Sharon Bottorff with Arc of Williamson County at sbbarc@bellsouth.net   or Marie Wicks at mariew@wcs.edu