The Take Charge project used the following types of plans for person-driven planning. Sometimes a combination of the two were used. For example, it’s often useful to do a quick history of a person before starting a PATH, especially if there are people attending who would benefit from learning more about the focus person. Below, you’ll find a description of the tool, templates you can download and a short presentation that walks you through the process.
A common response to moving forward on creating person-driven plans is – “I can’t draw!” As you can see from examples on this website (see Gallery, Real Stories tabs), you don’t have to be a great artist to serve as the recorder. One of the strategies that we’ve used is to have the focus person pick out photos, find images online, or use other visual images prior to the meeting that indicate choices, likes, history, etc. Then the focus person can add those to the paper during the meeting at appropriate times. In addition to taking the pressure off the recorder, using this approach helps keep the focus person more engaged, especially if they have limited verbal ability. Another strategy is to use a computer and projector at the meeting. You can set up the frames/pages/outline for the MAP or PATH, and type in the information during the meeting for everyone to view. Then the focus individual can go back in and add images to further clarify their perspectives. An example of that approach is also provided.
WHAT DOES A PDP MEETING LOOK LIKE?
People who haven’t seen or participated in a Person-Driven Plan often ask about the process for getting from the beginning to the end. Whiie we can provide the steps, the photos, examples of what the plans look like, and what the outcomes are, it can be intimidating to think about facilitating a plan for the first time. The presentation linked here provides video clips of a real PDP meeting with a young man named Sebastian. He and his family were very generous in allowing us to videotape the process and to do so in front of other families and professionals who wanted to see a planning meeting in action. The video is divided into sections, with each clip being from 1-5 minutes so viewers can see the flow of the process, how the conversation goes, how the facilitator moves the meeting along, and how the actual plan takes form. The full meeting lasted about an hour and 20 min. (which is not shown in its entirely). Explanations are provided for each of the components of the meeting. We hope that you find it helpful!
PATH
- PATH
- PATH BLANK
- Using a PATH for planning
This presentation describes the components and sequence for using a PATH for futures planning and provides examples.
MAP
- MAP outline
- Using a Map for Planning
Using a MAP for Person-Driven Planning: This presentation describes the components and sequence for using a MAP for futures planning and provides examples. - Planning Meeting Guide
- MAP Planning Using a Computer
This presentation offers a template as an alternative to drawing a MAP on large paper posted on a wall. The facilitator/recorder sets up the template with the various pages to be used in the MAP ahead of time on the computer. During the meeting, the images would be projected on a screen and everyone’s input would be typed in vs. being drawn on paper.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Manual for Facilitators
- Person Centered Planning Education Site
- National Parent Center on Transition and Employment
- Inclusion Press (planning tools)
- Fostering Self Determination
- Graphic facilitation in person centred planning
Examples of both plans can be found under the Gallery and Real Stories tabs. You can also searching www.youtube.com for either PATH or MAP + person centered planning. The following links show videos of a plan completed in Ireland.