This paper describes the role of the Supported Housing Specialist as developed by the Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. The paper is based on extensive interviews with Marcie Brost who developed and holds the position. This paper is intended to be used with a set of…

Meeting the challenge of providing supported living for people with developmental disabilities calls for new relationships among people receiving support, those providing support, and families. The focus should be on assisting people with developmental disabilities to establish a sense of place, security of place, and effective personalized…

The current standard in providing residential services for individuals with severe disabilities favors serving small groups of people with similar levels of assistance needs in ordinary housing units, which are owned or leased by nonprofit agencies, funded by a mix of federal and state funds, and employ shift workers who provide professionally…

This article on systems change focuses on the efforts of a mentally retarded man with cerebral palsy and his advocates to obtain the resources necessary for him to be able to leave a nursing home and live independently. First, the article identifies two kinds of change: change within the system's rules and changing the rules or the system itself.…

This paper offers advice, from members of People First, concerning the process of having individuals with disabilities move out of institutions and nursing homes into community living arrangements. The first section lists categories of questions that express the potential concerns and worries of people who are going to move, such as "Why do…

This paper offers a perspective on people learning to build community, across the imposed social barriers that separate people with substantial disabilities from other people. The paper presents the story of a woman who was able to move from an institutional setting to her own home because of the community-building carried out by her support…

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…

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 paper discusses the political conflicts that may arise around person-centered planning for individuals with disabilities. It argues that person-centered planning offers a forum for dealing with contested questions in the lives of particular people and in the histories of particular organizations, communities, and states. These questions…

To illustrate the principles and conflicts inherent in ensuring the self-determination of individuals with disabilities, this paper discusses the challenges faced by the parents of Shari, an adult with developmental disabilities. Throughout Sheri's 30 years, her parents have sought to create the kind of supports and opportunities that will put…

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 paper discusses the genius of the principle of normalization in the development of better services for socially devalued people. It argues that the definition of normalization sets a direction for learning-through-action which is clear and convincing, as well as indefinite and conditional, and rests on a deep appreciation of the everyday…

This paper traces the history of person-centered planning in programming for individuals with disabilities. It begins by describing the context shared by the first four methods of person-centered planning to emerge (Personal Futures Planning, Individual Design Sessions, Getting To Know You, and Twenty-Four Hour Planning) and some of their…