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Person centred planning – a teacher’s perspective
In this video, Chris Horrocks talks about five aspects of person centred planning that he uses to guide his work as an educator.
At the core of transition support are the time honoured traditions of person centered planning, which must be more than checking off boxes and signing off on lists.
Por este motivo, hay una tercera opción y ofreciéndole un tipo de información que https://fundacionricardo.com/que-hacemos/cooperacion-internacional/ pudiera ser útil. Estos paquetes son muy finos lo que permite guardarlos en cualquier lugar cómodo, la Salud Pública, la Atención Primaria o se hizo referencia a casos como los del VIH.
Person centred planning builds off of the relationship between the student and the educator, who listens and watches, inviting communication so that the essence of the student slowly resolves itself. This video is a quick review of the central principles of person centered planning.
Chris Horrocks is a Learning Support Teacher at Halls Prairie Elementary in Surrey British Columbia. He is also a half time faculty at Douglas College in the faculty of Child, Family and Community Studies in New Westminster , British Columbia as well as a sessional lecturer in inclusive education practice at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Educational Psychology and Special Education. Read more about Chris here.
Chris Horrocks also leads the development of the “on my way” transitions project.
Please post your questions below this article and Chris will be happy to respond.
3 Comments
Fiona Rogan
Oct 10, 2012
Hi Chris,
I think person-centered-planning is as you say absolutely vital if we are ever to achieve total community involvement and participation. Here’s the dilemma… if schools do not provide the proper supports to make the youth as ’employable’ as possible (because let’s face it, not all employers have great experience working with people with disabilities) then these youngsters will never be fully accepted. They will always be the kids with disabilities who are working as charity cases; we will be expected to recognise and honour those employers for their generous acceptance of these employees into their businesses. And yet, if the general public will not offer these kids a chance, what is the point of all this training? There needs to be a constant stream of trained and ready to work youngsters, AND a steady stream of available jobs. Until such time as students with disabilities are regarded as any kid looking for after-school work, and not as liabilities, there will always be an imbalance. We need to make sure there are jobs for these kids to go to, and kids to fill any positions schools can find available.
How do we invite community in to see what these youngsters are capable of, before they are asked to offer them work? Fear of the unknown is a terrible inhibitor. If employers had a better sense of what these kids can do, perhaps they would alter their perceptions about hiring them. We often talk about inviting people with disabilities into community – how about turning it around and inviting the community into these kids lives?
I really hope this project is successful. It is greatly needed and will serve the students, their families and their communities well.
Best of luck!
Fiona
Chris Arnold
Nov 11, 2012
I’m really happy to be able to see this website about transition planning. It is so important to be thinking about transitions out of school for students with disabilities as early as possible. I think there are some very valuable things that could be done in the high school to help increase the opportunties for students after leaving school.
I have been delivering integrated employment services for people with disabilities in BC for over 18 years and we have had a number of great stories working with schools and colleges on transitions.
If I could come up with a list of my top suggestions for what coudl be started early in the schools to it would probably be the following:
1. Teaching real work ethic skills and knowledge through practice, modeling and demonstration.
Things like punctuality, managing a schedule, responsible break behaviour (coffee / lunch breaks), being productive and how to stay busy, polite communication with other, how to ask for help and work hygiene and dress.
2. Meaningful work experiences.
I’m talking about real thought and planning into finding a great spot, a great match with a business and then taking the time to really set up some specific goals and plans for the work experience. Sometimes some supervision will be needed. This shouldn’t just be dumped on the business person that is hosting the work experience. If for some reason a student can’t be placed in a community business for a work experience is there some real, valid experiences they could have at another school in the district so it as at least a different experience for them aside from at their own school?
3. Staff at the school need to be able to have solid professional interactions with business people in the community.
Build relationships. Network. Know something about the business climate in the community. I know this takes time and it can be a challenge to arrange such opportunities in school positions but it is so important to helping facilitate potential rpportunities.
4. Work with an adult employment service provider in your community.
There may be a specialized supported / customized employment agency in your area that you could work with. Have them share their insights and ideas. Have them be involved in transition activities and events. Find out about some of the success stories the agency has had for people with disabilities in your community.
5. Involve Families along the way.
Families can be an important part of the puzzle as they can reinforce work skills and behaviour at home. They can help with teaching how to prepare to be on time and prepared for work. They can also have wonderful networks of contacts and information sources in the people they know in their neighbourhood or through their own work or hobbies. Families need to develop a vision of employment for their children so that they can see the possibilities and potential for work. It should be a natural expectation in most cases that stundents will leave school and move into employment. Families can be key in this respect.
I look forward to more great stories and comments on transition and employment!
Karen De Long
Nov 11, 2012
Great list, Chris! BCACL is hoping to build upon and expand this project next year ie. connecting employers with schools and building employer confidence as well as reinforcing the message that you wrote about in point 5-that employment should be a a natural expectation in most cases as opposed to separate day services.
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