11/18/2025
I was once in a meeting about a service plan for a young man with a developmental disability. He sat quietly while professionals talked about his needs, his goals, and his supports. They were kind, well-meaning, and very busy filling in boxes.
Finally, he interrupted. He leaned forward and said, “Excuse me. You forgot to ask me what I want.”
The room went quiet. And then… everyone scrambled to put him back into the conversation that should have been his from the start.
That moment has stayed with me. Because it shows the difference between being system-centered and person-centered. The system wants to run smoothly, like a machine. But people aren’t machines. We don’t fit into boxes.
When we listen, really listen, with our whole bodies and not just our ears, we discover that people don’t dream about “service hours” or “program slots.” They dream about friends, jobs, apartments, love, Friday nights, and sleeping in on Saturdays.
That’s the shift that the Open Future Learning staff training module “Person-Centered, A Guide to Being” supports. It teaches that person-centered practice means recognizing each person as a unique human being: their history, preferences, dreams, and relationships. It offers concrete tools for listening, thinking, and planning in ways that put those things first. It invites us to see beyond systems, to make choices real, to build supports around a person instead of making the person fit into pre-made supports. In short, it shows how to hold space for people to lead their own lives, with dignity, connection and control.
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ID: Image shows the differences between approaches to disability services. System-centered emphasizes policies and procedures, focuses on efficiency and consistency, and standardizes services and supports. Person-centered emphasizes individual needs and preferences, focuses on personal goals, tailors services to the person.
