Making Choices & Taking Action: Self Determination

As a professional in the disability field, I spend my days helping people plan their futures through a process called Person-Centered Planning (PCP). It's one of my favorite meetings to facilitate because I get to see people discover what they want in life and find ways to make it happen. That's what self-determination is all about - choosing what you want to happen in your life, picking your own goals, and deciding how to work towards them.

When I sit down with people, we often talk about how PCP is like having a map for your journey. It puts you in the driver's seat and helps you think about what you want in your life, what support you might need, and how to move toward your goals.

Through my time supporting people on their planning journeys, I've learned there are five pillars that help build self-determination: know yourself, value yourself, plan, act, and learn. These pillars work together like pieces of a puzzle to help you navigate life and make decisions that work for you. I've seen how PCP brings these pieces together, turning people's hopes and dreams into real steps forward.

Something cool I've noticed is that these pillars don't just happen in order:

Ready to explore? As you read through these sections and questions, take time to write down your thoughts, draw pictures, or talk with someone you trust about what makes you ‘you’. These activities are part of PCP - they're simple but powerful ways to discover who you are and what matters to you. I've seen so many amazing insights come from just taking this time to reflect!

Know Yourself 

When I sat down with Larissa, a vibrant young woman in her early twenties from Washington State who had just finished high school, we began planning for her future using the PCP process that I'd learned through years as a job coach. For Larissa, her story includes a rich mix of cultures and traditions. She lights up when she talks about dancing to her favorite music and the close bond she shares with her sisters. Through our conversations, she discovered that her identity isn't just one thing – it's made up of many different parts that come together to make her uniquely her. Just like Larissa, let's explore all the different pieces that make you who you are!

Your Whole Self

For Larissa, understanding who she is means celebrating both what lights her up - like cats and kids - and embracing her unique family background with all its different cultural pieces. When you think about who you are, here are some things to explore:

Your Interests and Abilities

Your Cultural Identity

Your Different Identities

Your identity has many parts that work together:

Understanding how these different parts of you work together helps you make choices that feel right for your whole self.

Your Family, Chosen Family, and Community

As Larissa shared stories about planning her future, one thing became clear - our choices don't happen in isolation. When Larissa talked about her dream of working in childcare, she lit up sharing stories about the many different places she had volunteered. Her independence in taking the metro opened up new possibilities for college and dating. Through it all, her YES team - the people who believe in her goals - helped her stay strong and keep moving forward. Larissa learned how our choices become more powerful because she has a team of supporters cheering her on.

Family & Chosen Family Dynamics

Community Connections


Understanding Your Environment

I remember when Larissa shared her daily journey with me - how she confidently rides the metro between volunteer sites, stops for her favorite Mexican food, and explores new places in her community. Her story shows how the different spaces in our lives can affect our choices and open doors to new opportunities. For Larissa, each new environment, from potential workplaces to college classrooms, became a chance to discover what she could do. Now let’s reflect on the environments that fill your life: 

Your Different Spaces

Think about how you feel and what you can do in:

Recognizing Barriers

Be aware of challenges you might face:

Finding Support

When Larissa started planning her future, she discovered support in places she didn't expect - like the school-to-work program that opened doors to new opportunities, her sisters who stood by her side, and other self-advocates who showed her what was possible. Finding the right help made all the difference in her journey. Let’s reflect on who the helpers are in your life:

Putting It All Together

Through PCP with Larissa and many other young adults, I've seen how knowing yourself means understanding:

When we explored these parts of Larissa's story, it helped her:

Through supporting Larissa in her journey and many other students over the years, I’ve learned that getting to know yourself isn't something that happens all at once - it grows as you do. Each time Larissa tried something new - whether it was a different volunteer role, taking the metro to a new place, or starting college classes - she discovered something new about herself. Her story reminds us that self-determination is an ongoing journey of discovery.

Join me in the upcoming blogs as we continue following Larissa's story through the other pillars of self-determination: valuing yourself, planning, acting, and learning. Each blog will share more about how Larissa navigated these parts of her journey, while helping you explore your own path forward.

To find a PCP in your state, you should contact your state's Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), specifically the division that handles developmental disabilities or long-term care. They usually oversee the process of creating and facilitating person-centered plans for eligible individuals. If it’s not available as a service, there are ways to access a PCP privately or to become a facilitator in your state.