The Person Centered Information (PCI) form aims to capture the person’s perspective and what is ‘important TO’ them. Person Centered information is essential to planning. How can we help a person plan their life if we don’t first try to understand what a good life means to them? This goes beyond listening to a person’s words. Words are a very small part of our communication. Some people don’t use them at all. We want to pay attention to all the ways a person may express how they feel and what matters to them.
Understanding a person’s perspective is critical, and the PCI form can help us do just that. However, when gathering person-centered information, we may run into real life challenges. This month, we will explore a common barrier we’ve heard to gathering person-centered information and provide some suggestions and ideas that may help you in the future.
How can I record a person's perspective if they don't use words to communicate?
Corissa has been working as Dev’s personal agent for about a year. She’s met with Dev and his brother, Kamal, several times in their home. Kamal has shared a lot about his brother. Corissa has recorded everything she learns in the “additional input” sections of the PCI. Corissa has been hesitant to fill in anything in the “person’s perspective” sections. She questions whether she can record anything here, because Dev does not use words to communicate, but communicates using a few signs he has adapted from American Sign Language (ASL), facial expressions and gestures such as nodding and pointing.
So, how can we capture Dev's perspective in the PCI form?
Kamal has shared that Dev is interested in sports cars. Dev will point to cars when people arrive at his home. He will sign “car” and “fast” to others when they interact with him. At the grocery store, Dev often stops in the magazine aisle to flip through magazines that feature sports cars.
- In Dev’s PCI, this information might be captured in a few different sections, including Transportation, Community and Social Life, Communication, Pre-Employment/Work, Characteristics of People Who Best Support Me, and Hopes and Dreams.
- We might record under the ‘person’s perspective’ that “Dev likes fast, sporty cars. We know this because he will point to cars and sign “fast” and “car” as well as point to the car magazines when he is at the store. Dev likes to flip through magazines and point to pictures of sports cars and laugh.”
- We also could write “fast cars” in Dev’s perspective, as he specifically signs these words. Context for these words is important. For example: “Dev signs ‘fast cars’ when he wants to talk with others about cars. Dev will smile broadly when people bring up the topic of sports cars with him.”
- Kamal thinks that Dev is afraid of dogs. When Dev and Kamal walk in the neighborhood and come across a dog, Dev’s body tenses up and he begins to shake his head.
- In Dev’s PCI, this might be captured in the Life in Current Living Arrangements, Community and Social Life, or even in his Pre-Employment-related Preferences sections.
- We might record “Dev is afraid of dogs and does not want to interact with them. We know this because his body will tense up and he will shake his head from side to side when he sees a dog. This seems to be true for dogs of all breeds and sizes. Dev does not appear to react this way to cats or other pets.”
Quick Tips for Using the Person Centered Information Form:
Use 3rd-person language
- It is generally best practice to avoid writing in first-person language such as “I love sports cars,” unless the person directly communicated this. A person could directly communicate their perspective through words, sign, assistive technology, or by agreeing to what is being written for them. Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes from the person.
- If we are making our best guess about a person’s perspective, or they did not directly communicate it with us, stick to third-person language. For example: “Dev signs ‘fast cars’ when he wants to talk with others about cars. Dev will smile broadly when people bring up the topic of sports cars with him.”
It’s all in the details!
- Ask yourself “what does that look like?” and “how do we know?” when helping a person capture their perspective in the PCI. These details are important!
- Would a new supporter reading the PCI and be able to understand the person’s perspective and how we recognize what the person means?
Be clear and specific
- Record who provided what information on behalf of the person. This way, we can follow up to gain clarity in the future, as well as find out more about the person’s communication in various situations. This is also important to help understand the person’s relationships and evolving interests, which could lead to potential desired outcomes, job prospects, or other positive life changes.
- Even if a person is not directly sharing their perspective with us, we want to understand and include it in the ‘person’s perspective’ sections. It is okay to describe your “best guess”. We do this by including details of how the we came to understand their perspective. Be clear that what you are describing is your best guess.