Person-Centered Practices and Employment

 The Emancipation of Charles

Reaching forty years old is a landmark for anyone. It was especially memorable for Charles. The birthday celebration included many family and friends. Not only did he have a job pressing sheets with steam machinery in a major hotel chain, but he had also been selected “Star Employee” by the company. He was considered a “success story” by the agency staff that worked with him.

A few months after this celebration we began the process of Personal Futures Planning. The Planning group included his family and staff from his group home. After just two meetings it became clear that Charles had a lot of different dreams and visions of success. Many of these visions could be summarized as “emancipation.”

“I think I want to work with animals,” stated Charles. “But you are so successful at the job the day program found you,” replied one participant in his Futures Planning group. “You don’t understand,” said Charles, “machines are cold, they don’t offer me anything. Animals are loving and respond to you. I want that in my job.”

Charles had many more ideas for his future. “Different places to live, maybe an apartment, new experiences, maybe a farm, maybe the suburbs – just everything a new experience.”

The Planning team listened to these ideas. They saw that many ideas Charles had could become a reality for him. The group also worked together and with Charles to identify different obstacles to them. Being an adult doesn’t just mean being “free” and doing things for yourself. Sometimes it also means more work, risk, and sacrifice. Right now, his parents live close to his small group home. They provide him with transportation to many different places. If he moved farther away, he could not expect them to keep catering to his needs. While Charles has many social skills, he is very passive at building relationships. If he wanted to be more independent, he would also have to work on developing more relationships and friendship for himself.

The emancipation Charles struggles with sometimes seems similar to that of a teenager’s power struggles with his parents. The Futures Planning process allowed Charles opportunities to express his desires for more freedom, and also a safe place to confront some personal responsibility that comes with freedom. While sharing his dreams and more readily asserting himself, Charles struggles with the real step of adulthood: Taking charge of one’s own life.

The Planning process helped him think about personal responsibility for his life. He has business cards printed up with his name and number. This helps him build relationships with people he meets. The cards say “Call me, call a friend.” He has gotten a telephone with large push button numbers to help him communicate with the people he knows and with new friends. His program goals started to reflect his wishes. One of his goals is to ask someone to have coffee with him at least once a week.

Charles got a new job doing laundry for “Horst” hair salons. He excitedly tells people he works with “horses.” Given his interest in animals, there is now a pet in his group home. His group helped him start volunteering at the Humane Society. They are actively working on his goals of living in a new home and finding new experiences.