Person Centered Planning (PCP) is an approach to designing support that is guided by the individual with disabilities (or his/her advocates) that receives support, builds from personal strengths and vision, and results in practical action plans. While PCP procedures have been advocated strongly and adopted widely, there is little empirical documentation of the impact of the approach on the quality of resulting plans or the perceived impact of support on the lives of people with disabilities. The present study provides an analysis of the impact that the use of PCP had with ten transition-age students receiving special education services. Interviews with eight educators and ten students/parents indicated that PCP training was associated with (a) increased use of PCP procedures, (b) increased number of written goals supported outside the school-time, (c) increased number of non-paid individuals scheduled to provide support, and (d) higher satisfaction with the planning process by educators and students/parents.

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In 2006, the authors’ college joined the ranks of those offering programs for young adults with intellectual disabilities on campus. The program includes several inclusive courses in which typical students study together with their peers with intellectual disabilities. This article describes how 12 pre-service teachers who participated in an inclusive liberal learning understood their experience. The analysis of interviews with these pre-service teachers suggests that they emerged from the course with a commitment to the idea that students with intellectual disabilities have a right to a challenging liberal education. Most emerged with a stronger commitment to inclusive teaching practice and felt that the use of small group activities and discussions was the best way to build classroom community, create relationships among participants, and maximize learning. All of the interviewed pre-service teachers considered this course a positive academic experience.

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