We firmly believe that a parallel commitment on the part of the clients, their support network, agency staff and consultants is required to support them to live a lifestyle that is consistent with their goals and desires. Person-centered Planning is an approach that is used as a means to develop and implement services that will support the client’s vision of a desired lifestyle - above that of any other person in his life (barring conservatorship). To this end, Person-centered Planning focuses on the person receiving services as the center of the conversation and the first person consulted regarding desires and preferences for their life and services. If a client does not communicate in typical ways, or does not wish to do so in a group setting, the planning team and those that spend regular time with the client may be asked for information about their impressions of the person’s preferences (e.g. how he responds to certain activities, people, etc.) or other methods may be used to determine wants and need (drawing pictures may be a way for the focus person to communicate  wants or needs, or writing goals and objectives outside of meetings may be utilized). In any case, values clarification will occur and compromises will sometimes emerge during the planning process. Brainstorming will result in more and better teamwork among those involved.

To the extent possible, support services are designed around the unique needs and desires of each person served. In keeping with the philosophy and values of Pathway to Choices Behavior Management Program, staff chosen to work with clients will be flexible and focused on working to meet the person’s ever-evolving needs and desires, not the other way around. Support staff will be focused on providing active services and supports to clients. In keeping with the values of Choice and Self-Determination, Pathway to Choices Behavior Management Program will make every attempt to offer clients opportunities to have an active role in determining who provides their direct services and supports. Respect, the willingness to listen, and flexibility in approach from the support staff is integral to ensure that supports and services provided are flexible, tailored, and successful.

Communication, Responsibility, and Supportive Team Work – Clients with developmental disabilities, their families and friends, together with the professionals that serve them must work in concert with one another to ensure that the client is participating in activities that are meaningful and stimulating in ways that enhance the client’s overall life experience. Each person that is involved in the client’s life must be committed to working with each and every other person involved in his or her life. Family members, day program staff, Regional Center, Group Home Staff, Supported Living provider staff, Transportation Providers, IHSS workers, and the community at large each play an important part in the client’s life. Each must be willing to actively communicate to others what is happening in the client’s life, take responsibility for making sure that necessary tasks get completed, provide consistent support to the client, and support one another by working together.

Individuals receiving services will learn new skills and build upon existing skills when provided support and training services consistent with their unique desires, needs, and learning styles. All people have personal experiences that influence their ability and willingness to actively participate in all aspects of day-to-day life. Support staff will encourage and provide opportunities for individuals to exercise choice and control, and to be an active participant in the day-to-day life of the community. All involved will be sensitive to the different life experiences of each person served and will provide information and counseling on a variety of topics so that the person may, to the degree possible, actively participate in his/her life, make informed decisions that are consistent with his/her vision of a desired lifestyle, and make choices that are healthy and responsible. With choice comes responsibility – clients, their families and other supports must be provided the information and tools necessary to exercise personal choice and to understand the potential benefits and risks of their choices – to themselves, service providers, and to society at large.

Each client served will be provided opportunities to learn skills and develop interpersonal relationships in the context of natural environments. For example, this may mean that the client will be supported to learn to read using a newspaper or a novel of interest; learn to browse the web using a computer or iPad; to self advocate by expressing wants and desires during planning sessions, etc. Learning environments will therefore be in locations that are suitable for the client and learning will be with age-appropriate materials (e.g. Computer classes may be taken at the Pathway to Choices site or at a local community college, purchasing groceries will be taught using real money or gift cards at the store or the bank as opposed to fake money with toy groceries in a classroom setting, teaching the use of public transportation will be by utilizing available forms of public transit – (RT Bus and Light Rail System, Paratransit, etc.).

Pathway to Choices staff will teach, encourage and support each person served to develop and maintain healthy reciprocal relationships with family, friends, and community members. Individuals served will be supported to develop independence on one hand, while on the other will be encouraged and supported to develop teamwork relationships. Clients will be taught, encouraged, and supported in developing greater understanding of themselves and the reasons they relate to the world in certain ways and will also be provided opportunities for developing greater interpersonal relationship skills. To this end, individuals served will be supported to participate in site-based group activities and community activities that are age-appropriate and suitable to the client’s preferences and abilities so that the development of relationships (natural supports) is possible – and so that clients have opportunities to be valued as members of a community.

It is the belief of Pathway to Choices Behavior Management Program that providing positive behavior supports is the best way to promote behavior changes. Pathway to Choices Behavior Management Program believes that the process of behavior change over time via systematic instruction instead of behavior change procedures focusing on more discreet manipulations of undesired behavior. Positive programming will allow staff to gradually change behaviors systematically, over time based on a functional analysis. Staff will focus on teaching new behaviors or class of behaviors, substituting communicative means, substituting a more socially appropriate behavior and assigning a meaning. These positive behavior supports provide many advantages over the use of punishment. These supports are positive and constructive in nature, provide long term results, will prevent future problems, are efficient, are socially valid and contribute most to the clients by enabling them to actively participate in managing their lives.

Each client served will be assisted in achieving their goals -  physical, mental, and social well being - to the extent that is possible. We will teach, counsel, and otherwise address mental and physical, sexual, and spiritual health and safety issues. Each person-centered plan will address support strategies for teaching and assisting the client with making choices that maintain or enhance health, seek creative ways to encourage, discreetly where possible and desirable, good nutrition and physical fitness and recognize known risks to health and safety which are deemed by the individual and circle of support to be acceptable. Support staff will provide services in respectful ways and only as necessary to ensure that safety needs are met on an ongoing basis while retaining the dignity of risk necessary to pursue the aspirations of a full and active life.