Person-Centered Practices

‘Person-centered’ is our pledge

We take a person-centered approach in all of our work. That means the people affected by an issue are the real experts. Our service delivery focuses on people’s genuine hopes and needs, leading to more positive and sustainable outcomes. 

Transforming how we think, plan, and practice

We facilitate the Center for Advancing Person-Centered Systems (CAPS@HSRI) which provides technical assistance and evaluation services focused on improving processes and policies to support person-centered practices, planning, and systems. The mission of CAPS@HSRI is to ensure the systems providing support to people with disabilities and older adults are driven by their voices.

From 2019-2025, we administered the National Center for Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS). NCAPPS was an initiative from the Administration for Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help states, Tribes, and territories implement person-centered thinking, planning, and practices in line with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services policy.

Cross-disability efforts

HSRI has built a network of subject matter experts including people with lived experience of disability. Through technical assistance, development of resources, webinars, and hosting learning collaboratives, HSRI has advanced systems supporting people with mental health-related needs, older adults, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, brain injury, and other support needs.  

The CAPS@HSRI team is all about operationalizing person-centered principles into concrete policies and practices. We want to move from ‘you should be more person-centered’ to ‘here’s how to structure your work, so it is driven by what matters most: People.’

Bevin Croft, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, HSRI