The song ‘Seven Ways to Cause a Crisis’ highlight what do we do that actually causes a crisis to happen in someone’s life? What do we (ie: support staff, team, system. support plan) unintentionally do that causes crisis in the … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Person-Centered Approaches
Welcome to Holland
Gallery
Welcome to Holland is a brief essay written by Emily Perl Kingsley about her experience of raising her son with Down Syndrome.
Everyone Can Learn
Gallery
Heather Simmons shares an insightful story illuminating the idea that people of all abilities have the ability to learn giving the opportunity. Although Heather was originally from Scotland she now lives in Perth Australia where, with her husband Richard Hill, … Continue reading
How Not to Handle Rejection
Gallery
Enjoy this short excerpt from our series of Side by Side modules on Relationships, Dating, and Intimacy written by Dave Hingsburger. There is no “best way” to deal with rejection, but there are a lot of bad ways. The module … Continue reading
A Thought about Sex and Disability
Reply
SEX…have I got your attention? In this video, Gary Kent gives everyone something to think about. Kent sheds light on the idea of how people with disabilities have a lack of control over their own lifes. His blunt and straightforward example of how even the opportunity to have sexual relations is controlled by others, gives us all something to think about.
Understanding and Promoting Rights
Gallery
Your staff can now learn about “Understanding and Promoting Rights” with either our long or new short version module. But first watch this fun music video we made about rights, community and more! Our new module “Understanding and Promoting Rights … Continue reading
Building Friendships and Community
Gallery
In this module, leading expert Kay Mills frames her personal experiences with stories of people she has worked with to comprehensively explain how we can help people to build friendships and community. Kay begins by defining both friendships and community … Continue reading
DROWNING BY DAVID PITONYAK
Gallery
It might seem odd that a professional would ignore someone who is drowning. But as David Pitonyak explains, this happens all the time in our field. People who have disabilities and difficult behavior are often overboard and terrified, and we … Continue reading
HANDS OFF IT’S MY HOME!
Gallery
Learn how everyone can take control of their lives and watch this trailer from our module “Self-Determination”. In this module, the author Simon Duffy uses his expansive knowledge to explain what self-determination means. A combination of graphics and short films combine with Duffy’s easy read writing style to highlight the importance of control and the understanding that everyone can take control of their lives.
Autism and Sensory Processing
Gallery
Understanding and gaining insight into your processing system takes time and effort. In this module, with the help of Judith North and Simony Haywood, we use insightful films and commentaries to help staff workers to understand their own processing abilities in hopes of them being able to better assist and understand the people they support. Continue reading
Johnny ran. That was his problem. He was what the staff called a runner.
Gallery
Open Future Learning gives your staff three ways to learn: 1 = With the people they support: Our Side by Side Modules let your staff use the time they spend with people to learn with people. 2 = In groups: Our … Continue reading
Five More Things You Can Do
Gallery
David Pitonyak is back with another five things you can do to support someone who has behavior that is challenging. When the person you support is going through a difficult time, friendships, a positive identity, fairness, and fun are commonly … Continue reading
The Harley Story
Gallery
“Direct support professionals have to walk that line – without judgement”
A story about a man with disabilities and a motorcycle club. Continue reading
Three Steps to Employment
Gallery
We have broken down the steps to employment into three bite size modules regarding employment. These three side-by-side modules with both the staff assist as well as the people we support to think about becoming employed, the types of employment opportunities available, and how to find employment and stay employed. Continue reading
Build Your Own Modules!
We are excited to announce the release of our new module creator platform!
This great new feature means that for no additional costs our members can build their own training modules and host them right alongside everything that the Open Future Learning resource has to offer. Watch the above user guide film to see how it works.
If you have any questions please contact Ben Drew at ben@openfuturelearning.org
Difficult Families?
Gallery
What can we learn from the families we support and work with? This video is a celebration of families and what we can learn from them. The moving and thoughtful words of the families who made this video will help … Continue reading
Five Things You Can Do
Gallery
This module, created by David Pitonyak, explains the importance of staff members getting to know the people they support. They need to understand that all behavior is meaningful and the importance of having support plans in place. Continue reading
Me and Mine
Gallery
Dave Hingsburger will change the way you think about your work and the way that you support people. Our new module ‘Me and Mine’ explores the importance of self and the need to help the people you support to develop … Continue reading
Naturally
Gallery
Really excited to share our new music video “Naturally”. We collaborated with the brilliant Michael Steinbruck to bring you this song about the right of people to build a home and live in the community.
The Moth & Open Future
We are pleased to announce that we have recently embarked on a collaborative project with The Moth and we are now seeking to connect with family members of people who have an intellectual disability.
We want to help support professionals to do a better job of relating to, understanding, and working with the families of the people we support. The experiences and stories of family members are rarely openly shared and are often misunderstood.
The Moth will be facilitating a series of professionally supported workshops within the five boroughs of NYC to help participants to shape their life experiences into well crafted stories that can be presented to members of the local community. Open Future Learning will in turn build a module that incorporates these stories.
If you are or if you know a family member that might be interested in taking part please contact us.
‘What I’d Say’
Gallery
We recently collaborated with Michael Steinbruck to produce this powerful music video. Lots to take from this, just listen to the words.
David Pitonyak
Gallery
This gallery contains 1 photo.
We recently had the pleasure of filming with yet another great thinker. David Pitonyak has a way of understanding and communicating the needs of people with challenging behavior that is profoundly straightforward. The largest part of Pitonyak’s work involves meeting … Continue reading
Welcome Kathie Snow
We are pleased to welcome Kathie Snow to the Open Future Learning family.
Unique, inspiring, motivational, valuable, provocative, life-changing. These are some of the words used to describe Kathie Snow’s work. Snow challenges conventional wisdom and encourages others to adopt new ways of thinking about disability issues. She believes each person with a disability has strengths, gifts, and talents, and that when we focus on those-instead of the diagnosis-grea outcomes are possible!
Kathie Snow is the mother of Benjamin, a young man with disabilities. Snow has learned from Benjamin and other with disabilities, and now shares these extraordinary lessons. Kathis believes we can generate better outcomes for children and adults with disabilities when we change our attitudes, words, and actions. The inclusion of people with disabiliites can be be accomplished when they move from dependence on special services (client-hood) to the abundant supply of natural supports and generic service in their communities (citizenship).
Snow is enthusiastic, positive, and passionate about ensuring children and adults with disabilities live real lives, fully included at home, school, work and play. The commonsense strategies she promotes can help turn this dream into reality. Be ready for provocative questions, positive solutions, and innovative thinking, mixed with humor and real-life experiences.
Learn more about Kathie http://www.openfuturelearning.org/contributors.html#ksnow
“Forget everything you think you know about learning online.”
Gallery
Welcome to the new way to learn …
Welcome
Welcome to Open Future Learning
