This guide presents principles of person-centered planning, an approach to organizing and guiding community change in alliance with people with disabilities and their families and friends. The approach focuses on the individual's desired future, his or her present reality, necessary services, and currently available community resources. Individual…

This paper points out that the promise of supported living for individuals with developmental disabilities lies in its potential to deal creatively and individually with the complexities arising from the lives of many different individuals. The paper describes personal experiences of leaders in supported living agencies that enabled them to step…

This paper describes the Pathfinders program in New York (New York), which works to facilitate the full integration of adults with developmental disabilities into workplaces and neighborhoods. The paper is organized around the question of whether students graduating from special education can find paid and volunteer work in community settings,…

From April 11-14, 1995, the Onondaga Community Living (OCL) organization hosted a team of five visitors sponsored by Syracuse University's Center on Human Policy. OCL provides services to empower and individually support people with developmental disabilities. In investigating the organization's move toward the provision of individual supports in…

This checklist is intended to help communities evaluate their provision of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) for people with significant disabilities. Although PAS services are the key component of individualized supports for such persons, they should be considered in conjunction with other services. Essential qualities of effective PAS are: (1)…

This report discusses the need to provide people with disabilities with accessible opportunities for community contribution and to provide the individualized supports and assistance necessary to enable their participation. Two strategies are discussed for realizing these objectives: adequate individual funding controlled by people with…

This report examines organizational aspects of agencies working to support people with developmental disabilities in supported living arrangements that provide individualized help to enable individuals to live in homes of their choice. The report is based on meetings and interviews with agency directors and staff throughout the country. Part I…

This paper proposes that those who make policy for individuals with severe disabilities ought to evaluate current actions and frame proposed changes according to whether these changes protect or increase citizens' opportunities to build inclusive community by establishing suitable position and priority for adequate government investment. Such…