Project Description:
The Institute on Person Centered Practices is a collaborative partnership between the Center on Disability Studies at The University of Texas at Austin and the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University. The Institute provides training and technical assistance on person centered practices for a broad range of audiences and organizations including: people with disabilities, family members, providers of HCBS services, managed care organizations, educators, adult protective services and the Texas workforce commission.
Federal regulations require the development of a person centered plan for people receiving Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). These services must be provided to all people regardless if they are provided through a State Medicaid Plan or through Waiver Services. This requirement has greatly escalated the need for training on person-centered practices for managed care organizations, regional and private providers of HCBS services throughout Texas as well as other States. Requests for training on person centered thinking and planning greatly increased to meet the demands generated by the federal rule requirements. In addition, people who receive services and their families need training on person-centered practices to ensure they are equal partners in the planning process. It is important to note that other organizations that provide services and supports for people that are not under the Federal Rule requirement also request training on person centered practices from the Institute.
Overall Goals:
The purpose of the Institute is to provide training on person centered practices including plan development for people receiving services, family members and the organizations that provide those services. The Institutes fundamental founding principle is to support people to get better lives as they define them.
Now in its eleventh year, the Institute works intentionally to revise and develop curriculum to ensure person centered practices are relevant and apply to numerous groups of people receiving services in their communities. These groups include people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), older people, people with mental illness, people who are abused or neglected, children and students receiving special education services.
The Institute has developed new partnerships to ensure revisions to the training curriculum are applicable to that specific population of people receiving those services. To ensure sustainability, Institute Mentors work to certify trainers within the partner organizations.
Unusual Features:
The Institute has a long-standing relationship with the Learning Community on Person Centered Practices. The curriculum and materials on person centered thinking and planning originate with the Learning Communitys work. Some of the curriculum materials are reflected in recommendations from Federal and State agencies as standard best practices.
The Institute has a Mentor Trainer certified by the Learning Community that support initiatives to promote person-centered practices within their scope of work. The Institute has the only Mentor Trainers in Texas allowing opportunities to embed certified trainers within numerous organizations to impact long-term sustainability.
Expected Benefits:
The Institute strategically works to develop materials that influence the lives of a broad range of people receiving services and supports to live in their communities. Further, the Institute is intentionally planning with new partners to embed person-centered practices within the fabric of these organizations to ensure the people receiving services get the lives they desire.
The Institute also serves as the lead organization to plan an annual Gathering of certified trainers and other interested people from Oklahoma and Kansas to learn about national trends, partnerships and creative training methods to present person centered skills. In addition, the Institute founded a Community of Practice represented by 60 Person Centered Thinking trainers all certified by Institute Mentors. The purpose of the Community of Practice is to bring together certified trainers representing agencies, provider, family members and people with IDD to develop a network of trainers with a unified purpose and support.
--------- ACTIVTIES ----------
IPCP - Person-Centered Thinking Training and presentations
*** SURVEYS ***
*** SURVEYS ***
61 Surveys received from 4 full trainings
18 Professionals
41 IWD
2 Family members
Satisfaction
40 Strongly agreed
20 Agreed
1 Disagreed
Presentation for Stone Soup Group in Alaska
9 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
2 Strongly disagree
Texas Gathering
61 people attended
50 Professionals
7 Individuals with Disabilities
4 Family members
38 surveys received
Satisfaction
20 Strongly agreed
16 Agreed
1 Disagreed
1 Strongly disagreed
Comments:
Trainings
I thought Aimee and Kent were very well prepared and focused. I LOVED Aimee's examples for how she was using the tools. I appreciated the super-quick responses to problems, questions, issues. I would have liked to see some of the tools used in combination just to get some ideas for using tools together.
Aimee did an AMAZING job. Her version of this training brought in new, more interesting tools to breathe more life into the training and to simplify things.
Gathering (question- What did you like about this activity?)
Collaboration and knowledge sharing (especially from those with a high level of comprehension of person-centered vision & material - the mentor session was great!); emphasis on weaving culture and trauma-informed understanding into PC approach/training/etc.
Mostly that I feel connected to a community that is promoting person centered practices and I continue to learn from my peers.
Just listening to the different aspects of everyone's view point and what they were working on. Really great.
Relaxed comfortable engagement and interactions
The feeling of having the same goal and supporting each other.
Stone Soup Group
The information was excellent and its application can be used for so many situations in life. Both of the presenters were knowledgeable and gave wonderful examples. The presentation flowed smoothly and the time went by so quickly. The slides shared pertinent information and were engaging. Great presentation style and love the collaboration and mutual respect of the presenters.
Great information all around - the one-page profile is very useful
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
