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Curriculum
 "My
Voice, My Choice" is a must-have curriculum for self-advocates
and others interested in system change related to self-determination,
community integration and financial responsibility.
This manual includes eight easy-to-read chapters, 175 pages of
text, study exercises, and overhead templates.
- Five chapters cover key definitions and concepts, and describe
the workings of participant-driven supports.
- Three chapters cover more complicated topics, including managed
care, analysis of state systems, and strategies to work for change.
Click here to view the chapter summaries.
"My Voice, My Choice" was developed to provide people with developmental
disabilities the information they need about participant-driven
supports. Self-advocates in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri,
New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and
Washington have used
this curriculum. They have demonstrated that self-advocates are
ready to help shape policy and practice across the country! Specifically,
the curriculum does five things:
- It provides self-advocates with information on what changes
are taking place in the developmental disabilities field and why
they are happening.
- It helps participants decide what they want from a service system.
It explains community integration and self-determination for people
with developmental disabilities. It prepares individuals to advocate
for changes that are consistent with these principles.
- It encourages self-advocates to investigate what is happening
in their state. The manual shows self-advocates how to look at
things in their own local communities and states to see what kinds
of services exist and how money is being spent.
- It allows participants to compare local action with their own
standards for community integration and self-determination. Self-advocates
are provided with opportunities to compare the changes that are
happening in their local communities and states, with the changes
they would like to see happen.
- It explores ways for participants to get involved by educating
others or by helping to shape changes in their state. The curriculum
informs self-advocates on the many ways that they can become active
participants in the planning and decision-making activities in
their state - in local and statewide systems change, and in planning
their own services and supports.
Click here for more information on ordering
the curriculum.
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CHAPTER SUMMARIES
INTRODUCTION Click here for the complete
introduction!
CHAPTER 1: SELF-DETERMINATION, COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AND YOU
We start with an introduction to four important words and phrases
that self-advocates will need to understand in order to talk about
systems change. These words are: self-advocate, advocate, self-determination,
and community integration. This chapter includes two exercises.
The "Tootsie Pop" game demonstrates what it means to have power
and speak up for oneself. Additionally, a crossword puzzle is included
for reviewing key concepts.
CHAPTER 2: LEARNING THE LINGO
This chapter introduces several words and phrases that are used
when we talk about the service system. Being familiar with these
terms will help participants understand how their service system
works. Words include:
- Disability and developmental disability
- Service system
- Federal, state, and local levels of government
- Services and supports
- Medicaid
- Provider
- Staff
- Participant-Driven Supports
In this chapter a group exercise uses poker chips to demonstrate
how Medicaid funding works. Additionally, a crossword puzzle is
included to help participants remember these new words.
CHAPTER 3: THE FORCES OF CHANGE
This chapter introduces the three primary reasons why service systems
around the country are changing.
- People with developmental disabilities want to take charge
of their own lives.
- More and more people are asking for supports.
- There is not enough money to pay for supports for everybody
who wants them.
Following the presentation of material in this chapter, sample
questions are presented for the instructor(s) to facilitate a discussion
about what should be done to decrease wait lists with limited funding.
CHAPTER 4: PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
This chapter introduces the three things that must be done to develop
a service system that fits with the idea of self-determination.
- You must have a picture in your mind - a vision of how the
system should work.
- The help that is offered to people with disabilities must be
flexible enough to fit the person's needs.
- Supports must be delivered in ways that cost the least amount
of money. If any money is saved, it can help more people.
In this chapter there is an activity entitled, "What is Your Dream."
During this activity, participants use a ball of yarn to create
a large dream catcher. Participants share their dreams and goals
with the group.
CHAPTER 5: THE WAY TO GO . . . PARTICIPANT-DRIVEN SUPPORTS
This chapter describes the two levels of participant-driven supports:
systems level and personal level. Then, it discusses the four main
components of participant-driven supports:
- Money (to buy services and supports),
- A personal broker (to help make decisions and make a plan to
spend the money), " A business agent (to watch over the money),
and
- Choices (where the participant makes a lot of choices about
the life, services, and agency they want).
The chapter then talks about how a participant-driven support system
can be put into practice. A group activity involving poker chips
and role plays is conducted to help demonstrate how a participant-driven
supports system works.
CHAPTER 6: MANAGED CARE: WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN?
This chapter describes managed care, and the words that participants
will need to understand when people talk about managed care. These
words include: payer, managed care company, service providers, service
recipients, eligible population, capitation, risk, care criteria,
care coordination, service substitution, utilization review, quality
enhancement and assurance, and network management. The definition
of managed care will also be presented.
CHAPTER 7: GETTING TO KNOW THE SERVICE SYSTEM IN YOUR STATE
This chapter is designed to help participants discover what is happening
in their state service system for people with developmental disabilities.
Two questions are asked:
- Does the service system in your state emphasize community integration
and self-determination for people with developmental disabilities?
- Is the service system in your state participant-driven?
The chapter lays out the different steps that participants should
take in order to answer the previous questions. Discussion questions
are then provided to assist in determining how states rate on these
two questions.
CHAPTER 8: ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE
The final chapter discusses what it means to be an advocate for
change. Strategies for making changes at the individual and the
system level are presented. Participants learn:
- How to be an advocate for change, and make changes in the service
system.
- How to make decisions about what to change.
- How to make an action plan for change.
There are several activities in this chapter. The first is a discussion
of "policy-level" problems versus "individual-level" problems. Then,
an activity helps participants distinguish between the two types
of problems. Another exercise is designed to help participants learn
how to communicate clearly and simply. The last exercise is used
to determine skills that make a good leader.
Click here for more information on ordering
the curriculum.
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INTRODUCTION
This Manual is about the future of services and supports for people
with developmental disabilities.
It's about self-determination - self-advocates speaking up for
themselves and having control over their lives.
This Manual is about money - the money available to fund services
that self-advocates need to help them in their life.
But most of all, this Manual is about being active in the face
of change - changes in disability policy that are happening right
now in so many states.
The developmental disability service system is going through a
major change. It's a big change - really big! To be part of the
change, you need to understand what is happening and be part of
the group that decides how these changes take place.
The main questions being asked - the ones really pushing the changes
- are these:
- How do we promote self-determination for people with developmental
disabilities?
- How do we hold down costs for developmental disability services?
- How do we improve the quality of services?
- How do we deliver services to more and more people?
What are the answers to these questions?
Nobody really knows. As people try to find the answers, they try
new things. As a result, developmental disability service systems
are changing.
You can be a part of the change! You can help make sure that the
system changes in ways that will help people with developmental
disabilities speak for themselves and make decisions about their
own life.
So… If you're a self-advocate; or if you're a friend, family member,
or advocate for someone with a developmental disability…
This Manual is for you! This Manual provides you with the information
you need to understand the changes taking place, and how you can
participate.
Here's what you will find in this manual… The chapters in this
manual are separated into two levels - Level One and Level Two.
The chapters in Level One cover information that all self-advocates
will want to know. For those who want to challenge themselves even
further, Level Two chapters cover topic areas that self-advocates
who want to be involved in change at the systems (or policy) level
will need to know.
Level One
Chapter 1 - Self-Determination, Community Integration, & You.
We start with an introduction to four very important words that
you will need to understand to participate in the talks about
systems change.
Chapter 2 - Learning the Lingo. Here, many more words
are presented for you to learn about. These words will help you
to understand the service system.
Chapter 3 - The Forces of Change. This chapter explains
why the service system is changing. Three major reasons are given.
Chapter 4 - Putting Things Together. This chapter describes
three things that must be done to develop a service system that
fits with the idea of self-determination.
Chapter 5 - The Way to Go… Participant-Driven Supports.
This chapter describes one way to change the service system -
a way that puts self-determination first, and also holds down
costs.
Level Two
Chapter 6 - Managed Care: What Do The Words Mean? There
is a lot of talk about managed care and how it can be used to
run developmental disability systems. Managed care is already
being used in health care systems. In this chapter, the basics
of managed care are explained. So, if the topic comes up, you'll
be ready.
Chapter 7 - Getting to Know the Service System in Your State.
So, what is happening in your state? In this chapter, self-advocates
learn how they can look at their state and explore the changes
(if any) that are happening.
Chapter 8 - Advocating for Change. Do you want to be active
in the changes as they are planned out and tried? This chapter
shows you how you can be a player, not just someone who stands
by and watches.
Because of the changes that are happening in the developmental
disabilities system, it is very important that people with developmental
disabilities - self-advocates - prepare themselves for the road
ahead. We hope that this manual provides you with the information
you need to have your say!
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