Develop a Plan

A home, food, job, transportation, health care, hangout sessions with friends… You know, just the “basics” of what a person might want in life. Because we [people with disabilities] are people too, we also want these things. Our basics may consist of the need for supports in those areas, which may not be easily accessed. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible!

Before I continue, I want to note that the things I share, in these blogs, are merely ideas and potential advice. They are my experiences, and the routes I took towards making those experiences successful. If our scenarios align well enough to where you feel doing as I did will work for you, own it! Then, feel free to share with me what worked, what didn’t, and what may have needed to be tweaked along the way. Your story is just as beneficial to others, as you might believe mine to be.

As I mentioned in my introductory blog, I relocated from Florida to Georgia, and now live independently. I didn’t achieve this feat by myself though. And I was at no level of experience to be able to just do it -- pack up and go. Now, it’s just a matter of how to fulfill those wants and needs, in a responsible manner. This would have been the third time I transitioned towards independence. But this would have also been the time when I created an effective plan. One that was based/created by me.

The process of creating my plan could and could not be considered Person-Centered Planning (PCP.) “Could” because I knew where I wanted to work, how/where I wanted to live, with whom I wanted to build relationships, some ideas for what additional resources/supports I needed to pursue, and just about when I wanted all of this to come to fruition. “Could not” because it wasn’t a formal meeting where big players of my team came together and created true timelines, determined what their roles were, and so on. Sometimes, formal is necessary though. A team of your creation can come together to develop a plan for your future. I repeat -- YOUR future. The person whom the plan is centered on is YOU! What do you want to do to make money? What area of the world would you like to live in? How do you access your community for support? And when are you hoping to see some action?

Once you’ve determined what you would like to pursue in the future, you can reach out to  Parent to Parent of Georgia (P2P), one of the many statewide resource providers!