Doing More With More: A Guide to Inclusive Support and Social Innovation This insightful document by John O’Brien explores how to create meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in challenging times. It emphasizes the shift from traditional program-based thinking to fostering genuine social inclusion and self-direction....
Mapping the Inner States of Change Creators: A Guide to Transformative Thinking This insightful document by Beth Mount and John O’Brien explores the inner dynamics of change-making, offering a roadmap for understanding how personal mindsets and relationships shape the ability to create meaningful change. It introduces a four-stage...
This insightful document, Changing the Pattern by Connie Lyle O’Brien and John O’Brien, explores a transformative approach to supporting people with severe disabilities. It contrasts two distinct paradigms: the traditional “deficiency-fixing” model, which focuses on identifying and addressing shortcomings, and the emerging “capacity-support” model, which emphasizes recognizing strengths, gifts,...
The document explains that funding priorities significantly impact inclusion efforts. When funding is limited, organizations often prioritize providing current services to as many people as possible, meeting immediate needs, and respecting individual or family choices for existing arrangements. This approach typically results in lower responsibility for inclusion (Quadrants...
This document explores the NYSACRA Learning Institute’s transformative approach to individualized supports for people with developmental disabilities, held in New York’s Southern Tier from June to November 2015. Supported by the NY State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, the institute focused on empowering change teams from participating agencies...
This document introduces Theory U, a transformative approach to creating better services for people with intellectual disabilities. Written by John O’Brien, it explores how we can move beyond outdated systems that limit choice and inclusion, and instead foster environments where individuals can live fulfilling lives. Guided by the principles...
This document, “Where Does Innovation Come From?” by John O’Brien, explores the dynamics of innovation through the lens of “Push vs. Pull” approaches, emphasizing the importance of creating platforms that empower individuals and communities to drive change. It highlights the transformative power of passion, experimentation, and collaboration,...
This insightful document by John O’Brien and Beth Mount explores how human service organizations can transform through person-centered planning. It highlights five interconnected activities essential for meaningful change: Personal Futures Planning, Interactive Problem Solving, Strategic Redesign, Systematic Evaluation, and Structured Reflection. Each activity plays a unique role in fostering...
What’s in a Word? Exploring “Valorization” with John O’Brien In this thought-provoking piece, John O’Brien dives deep into the meaning and implications of the word “valorization,” as used by Wolf Wolfensberger in redefining the principle of normalization. O’Brien unpacks the historical and linguistic roots of the term, tracing its evolution...
This guide, crafted by John O’Brien and Beth Mount, dives into the transformative power of storytelling to spark meaningful change in organizations and communities. It’s all about sharing experiences, reflecting deeply, and building collective knowledge to create inclusive, person-centered environments. The document explores how stories can inspire action, clarify values...
This document explores the fascinating history and evolution of person-centered planning for people with developmental disabilities. It traces its roots back to the 1970s, when a network of passionate activists, families, and professionals began challenging traditional, institutionalized care systems. These early innovators sought to empower individuals by focusing on their...
Unlocking Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities This insightful document explores how employment support can transform lives by creating practical knowledge for individuals with developmental disabilities. It highlights the challenges faced by this group in accessing integrated employment, despite decades of policy advancements and innovative strategies. The...
Discovering the Choice System: Empowering Employment for People with Severe Disabilities This document dives into the transformative “Choice System,” a framework designed to empower people with severe disabilities to take ownership of their journey into meaningful employment. It explores how individuals, programs, and administrators can work together to...
This insightful document by John O’Brien dives into the transformative world of supported employment for people with severe disabilities. It explores how innovative approaches have shifted the focus from individual capabilities to leveraging broader social resources, enabling thousands to thrive in integrated workplaces. The paper highlights three key perspectives...
This inspiring document, One Day at a Time, tells the story of Ray Browning, a trailblazer in Georgia who defied the odds to move out of a nursing home and into his own apartment, proving that people with severe disabilities can live independently with the right support. After 14 years...
This document is a practical and inspiring guide for service providers committed to helping people with disabilities build meaningful lives and connections within their communities. It introduces five essential tasks: discovering a person’s unique gifts and interests, developing opportunities for them to contribute, making strong community connections, providing personalized...
This document offers a reflective and insightful journey through Georgia’s social innovation landscape from the 1970s to today, focusing on disability rights and community building. Written by John O’Brien, it highlights the transformative activism that emerged from conflicts around racism, sexism, and economic inequality, driving progress in disability services...
This insightful document explores the challenges and opportunities in creating meaningful change within organizations that serve people with disabilities. It highlights how learning can be uncomfortable, as it forces us to confront gaps between our values and actions, rethink ineffective routines, and navigate conflicts arising from diverse perspectives. ...
This insightful document explores how people with substantial disabilities and their allies can create stronger, more inclusive communities. Drawing inspiration from Martin Buber’s philosophy of mutual confirmation, authors John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien highlight the transformative power of relationships and shared action. Through real-life stories, such as Lisa’s...
This document is a thoughtful guide for service providers who want to make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities. It outlines five key tasks that help individuals move from social exclusion or isolation to active participation in their communities. These tasks include discovering a...
This insightful document, “Embracing Ignorance, Error, & Fallibility: Competencies for Leadership of Effective Services,” by John O’Brien, explores the transformative power of embracing uncertainty in human services leadership. It challenges traditional approaches to supporting people with severe disabilities, advocating for personalized, community-centered solutions that prioritize relationships, dignity, and lifelong commitments....
This reflective piece dives into the transformative journey of institutional reform for people with mental disabilities, focusing on the pivotal shift sparked by the 1969 publication Changing Patterns in Residential Services for the Mentally Retarded. It explores how outdated institutional models, once seen as necessary, were challenged by emerging...
This document explores five essential tasks for service providers aiming to empower individuals with disabilities and foster their inclusion in community life. It emphasizes a person-centered approach, focusing on discovering gifts and interests, developing opportunities, making meaningful connections, providing tailored assistance, and safeguarding against challenges. These tasks are...
Seeking Transformation: Building Inclusive Communities for People with Developmental Disabilities This insightful document by John O’Brien and Christopher Liuzzo explores the transformative journey of organizations serving people with developmental disabilities. It highlights the challenges these organizations face, including shifting societal expectations, funding constraints, and workforce shortages. The authors...
=This document is a comprehensive summary of a retreat held in June 1999 by the North Carolina Self-Determination Leadership Network, focusing on empowering people with developmental disabilities to take control of their lives and resources. It explores two key aspects of self-determination: individual empowerment and systemic change in the...
This insightful document by John O’Brien explores the critical role of community engagement in empowering people with disabilities and their families to live with dignity, security, and as active contributors to society. It highlights the urgent need for individualized funding, controlled by those directly impacted, as a counter to...
This document, “Reflections on In Control,” explores the transformative work of the In Control initiative, a UK-based movement focused on self-directed support and individualized funding in social care. Authored by John O’Brien and David Towell, it provides insights into how In Control aims to empower disabled individuals to live...
This document, Self-Directed Support: Re-Framing Inter-agency Partnership Working by John O’Brien and Simon Duffy, explores a transformative approach to social care, focusing on empowering citizens with significant impairments to achieve independent living. Instead of prioritizing system-level integration between agencies, the authors advocate for personalized integration, where individuals actively shape their...
This document explores how Support Coordination can drive meaningful change for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) by embracing complexity rather than rigid, ordered systems. It advocates for inclusion, self-direction, and co-creation of supports, emphasizing the importance of personalized approaches that empower individuals and families to live fulfilling...
This document, Reflections on Common Threads: Changing Stories… Stories of Change, captures insights from a 2016 conference on Independent Facilitation, sponsored by the Ontario Independent Facilitation Network (OIFN). It explores how Independent Facilitators empower people with developmental disabilities and their families to lead meaningful, self-directed lives within their communities....
Paying Customers Are Not Enough: The Dynamics of Individualized Funding This insightful document, Paying Customers Are Not Enough: The Dynamics of Individualized Funding by John O’Brien, explores the transformative potential of individualized funding for people with developmental disabilities. It challenges the traditional “paying customer” model, emphasizing that true change...
This insightful document, Paying Customers Are Not Enough: The Dynamics of Individualized Funding by John O’Brien, explores the transformative potential of individualized funding for people with developmental disabilities. It challenges the traditional “paying customer” model, emphasizing that true change requires individuals to shift from passive consumers to active agents...
This document dives into the transformative “Choice System,” a framework designed to empower people with severe disabilities to take ownership of their journey into meaningful employment. It explores how individuals, programs, and administrators can work together to create a system that fosters independence, mutual responsibility, and personalized support. ...
his document dives into the evolving landscape of disability rights and supported employment, highlighting the transformative efforts of disabled activists, family allies, and committed professionals over the past 60 years. It explores the gap between policy victories and real-world implementation, emphasizing the need for individualized, adequately funded support systems...
Discovering the Choice System: Empowering Employment for People with Severe Disabilities This document dives into the transformative “Choice System,” a framework designed to empower individuals with severe disabilities to take ownership of their journey into meaningful employment. It explores how mutual responsibility between participants, programs, and administrators creates...
Beating the Odds: Unlocking Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities This insightful document explores how supported employment agencies can transform into learning organizations by partnering with people with severe and profound disabilities. Authored by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, it highlights the challenges and opportunities in...
This insightful volume, Conversations on Citizenship & Person-Centered Work, edited by John O’Brien and Carol Blessing, explores the transformative power of person-centered approaches in supporting individuals with disabilities. Featuring contributions from thought leaders like Beth Mount, Diana Whitney, Michael Smull, Denise Bissonnette, Jack Pearpoint, and others, the book dives...
This insightful volume, Conversations on Citizenship & Person-Centered Work, edited by John O’Brien and Carol Blessing, explores the transformative power of person-centered approaches in supporting individuals with disabilities. Featuring contributions from thought leaders like Beth Mount, Diana Whitney, Michael Smull, Denise Bissonnette, Jack Pearpoint, and others, the book dives...
This document, crafted by John O’Brien in 2016, offers an insightful look into the transformative journey of E, a person with developmental disabilities, from chaos to meaningful community contribution. It highlights the innovative support systems designed to help E overcome emotional dysregulation, self-harm, and destructive behaviors, enabling him to...
This comprehensive report, prepared by John O’Brien, Connie Lyle O’Brien and Chalrie Galloway of Responsive Systems Associates, explores the effectiveness of residential service workers in Washington’s developmental services system. It dives deep into the roles, challenges, and accomplishments of direct service staff across five residential models: tenant support programs,...
The transcript does not contain the information required to answer the question directly, as it is not a PDF document but rather a meeting summary. However, based on the content provided, here is a brief SEO-optimized summary: Discovering the Heart of Supported Living: Insights from Georgia Options Annual TrainingThis engaging...
Unlocking Self-Determination: A Guide to Transformative Change This insightful document by John O’Brien explores the complexities of implementing self-determination initiatives for people with developmental disabilities. It dives deep into the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for creating systems that empower individuals to take control of their lives, make choices, and access...
This document outlines seven empowering principles for self-directed supports, designed to help individuals with disabilities take control of their lives and resources. It emphasizes the importance of independence, personalized budgets, and self-determination, ensuring people can access the support they need to live as active citizens. The principles advocate for...
This document dives into Wisconsin’s Robert Wood Johnson Self-Determination Project, exploring how self-determination can empower people with developmental disabilities to take control of their services and supports. It highlights the shift from traditional, county-controlled systems to a more flexible, participant-driven approach using Medicaid’s HCBS waiver. Key themes include...
Commiunity Engagement – Inclusio Community Engagement: Building a Foundation for Inclusion and Self-Determination This insightful document by John O’Brien explores the critical role of community engagement in empowering people with disabilities and their families to live with dignity, security, and meaningful contribution. It highlights the urgent need for...
This document, “Design for Sustainability,” explores person-centered planning and intentional teaming to create individualized, values-driven support systems. It emphasizes empowering individuals to lead their own lives while teams provide tailored assistance. Key themes include flipping limiting narratives, bridging integrity gaps, and fostering curiosity to challenge ineffective practices. ...
This document, “The Key to My Own Front Door,” explores the importance of empowering individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities to own or lease their own homes. It highlights the disparity in housing opportunities, noting that for every person with a disability who controls their housing, twelve others...
This document, “A Checklist for Evaluating Personal Assistance Services (PAS) Policies and Programs,” is a practical guide designed to help individuals and organizations assess the effectiveness of PAS for people with significant disabilities. Authored by Connie Lyle O’Brien and John O’Brien, with input from disability advocates, it emphasizes the...
This insightful document explores the challenges and opportunities in supporting adults with developmental disabilities to live in their own homes, rather than in institutional or facility-based settings. Drawing inspiration from Dante’s poetic imagery, it highlights the struggles faced by individuals who often live under restrictive systems that limit their...
This document, created by People First of Washington, outlines the needs and desires of individuals with developmental disabilities regarding residential programs. It is based on insights from two seminars led by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle, focusing on improving services and empowering self-advocates. The document emphasizes that meaningful change...