Scenario: Meet Micah

Young man sitting in a wheelchair wearing a blue shirt and black pants.

This is Micah. Micah is a 33-year-old man who lives in a Supports for Community Living (SCL) Family Home Provider setting. He has an IQ of 59 and is diagnosed with a developmental disability from fetal alcohol syndrome. He requires assistance from a walker with ambulation or a wheelchair for longer distances. He is working on building his strength and stamina, as he has long wanted to travel. During his annual plan of care meeting, he verbalizes a goal to travel to Disneyworld for his 35^th birthday (18 months away).

Team Member Roles

Using a person-centered approach to support Micah’s goals, decisions, and desires, ensures that Micah is supported to live in the community as a valued friend and contributing citizen. The more you know about a person, the better you are able to understand, that person.
Micah has verbalized that he wants to travel to Disney World before his 35th birthday. Now that we know Micah a little better, let’s think about how we can use person-centered planning to help him achieve this goal.

Micah’s Role:

To communicate his desires for the trip & assist with an itinerary (where to stay, what to do, sites to see, etc.).
To work with his team on saving money for the trip, as it will be expensive.
To work on physical stamina and strengthening for the travel and park days.

Guardian State Service Worker (GSSW) Role:

To review the trip budget and assist with a savings plan.
To assist with obtaining the necessary travel ID.
To obtain needed out-of-state travel authorization.
To arrange the payment of the trip with his saved funds in the Kentucky Guardianship Association’s (KGA) Pooled Trust.
To consent to any pre-trip appointments, therapies, and possibly sign documents.
To communicate with the provider, and team, as needed.
To support the planning process within the bounds of the guardianship court orders.

Case Management Role:

To assist with trip details, itinerary and cost planning.
To arrange any therapy or physical fitness access so he can work towards improved stamina.
To coordinate/facilitate ongoing meetings about the goal and how best to meet this desire.

Provider Agency/Personal Assistance Direct Support Professional Role:

To assist and accompany on appointments
To support Micah’s desire to improve his physical stamina/strengthening.
To assess and arrange the staffing needed to support him while on the trip.
To provide any training to those accompanying him on his needs, plans, and safety provisions.
To maintain spending logs and receipts, and return them to the GSSW within 30 days of the trip.