One page profiles

One Page Profiles are a positive introduction to the person that share important information in a quick and useful way. Many versions of One Page Profiles are in use around the world. The profile in the Oregon ISP identifies:

  • What people like and admire about the person
  • What is ‘important to’ the person
  • How to best support the person

A one page profile is intended to offer a summary that people in the person’s life can use to get to know them quickly or ensure that they are providing consistent support in the way the person wants.

Here’s a quick list of tips and tricks for creating a One Page Profile: Tips and Tricks for creating a One Page Profile  (.pdf)

Sample One Page Profiles

OTAC staff are so grateful to the volunteers who have shared their One Page Profiles with us for use in training. Thank you!

One Page Profile Templates

Browse our gallery of One Page Profile Templates that you can download and use.

Common One Page Profile Mistakes

  • Assuming that if it is important to others in the person’s life (for example, staff or family), it must be ‘important to’ the person. Among the worst examples was a one page profile that said that implementing a restrictive behavior support plan (that the person clearly hated) was important to the person.
  • Describing what is important to the person in short, cryptic phrases that give an idea of what’s important, but are easily subject to misinterpretation by the reader. A common example is to have the single word ‘privacy’ listed, without saying more about what privacy means to the person. Since, in the absence of other information, people apply their own experiences instead, privacy will be interpreted as what it means to the reader, which is likely different than what it means to the person.
  • The basics should be assumed, unless there is a history of their being absent. Listing off food, shelter, clothing, safety, etc. should be avoided unless they have been absent in the person’s life. Someone who has lived in an unsafe situation may want their profile to say that they must not live with people who hurt others. Someone who has never lived in such a situation will take that as a given.

Credit to Helen Sanderson Associates for this list of common errors.

Additional Resources

Visit one of these websites to learn more about One Page Profiles, see more examples, and find more templates.