Future Search Planning

 

Blog

Feb. 2022.

Bridget Brown

Future Search Planning

Greetings to all!  I hope you have all been staying warm during these winter months. February is can be a difficult month because it is cold and the days are still short.  We can be hopeful because each day gets a little bit longer and we see more daylight. Soon we will see the flowers blooming and spring will be here.

 

As you might remember from my last note, I started a new inclusive college program at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).   I am in the second month of the program.  I am very excited about it and happy that I have this opportunity.   I am learning about radical inclusion, ableism, the history of people with disabilities, and advocacy.  I am also taking a class called Career builder. It is very fun because we are doing our resume and cover page. I look forward to getting a paid internship. It is all very exciting.

Now is the time to talk about another person-centered planning tool, called The Future Search. The future search is a way to identify your goals and plan for a positive and possible future.  The best way to do this is to step into the future, about one year from today, and think about what might be the best year you can imagine.  It is helpful to pretend that it is June 2023, and I am telling someone that it was the best year ever for me.  Everything I describe has to be POSITIVE and POSSIBLE!  These are two important words because if things are positive and possible, they actually might come true.   This part is very fun because you are going to decide a few really important things that you can do on your path and then you can plan what you need to do to make these things happen.

 

For example: I am going to pretend that it is June 2023 and  I am talking to a friend and I say, “this was the best year ever”.  I will tell them 3 positive and possible things that I want to happen in the next year. 

I will say ,

“ I finished my first year of the Co-op college program at UIC and I love it”

“ I also made friends in the co-op program and did fun activities on campus.”

“And I have a paid internship at a really fun and exciting place.”

 

Helpful hints about doing a future search.

·         Talk about things like they already happened. Try to image them in your head and describe as much as possible what that might look like. 

·         Step into your future and talk about things that are positive and possible for the next year of your life.  

·         Three or less things are a good place to start so you don’t get overwhelmed.

·         This is a little different then the dream part.  You want to think of things that can actually happen in one year.

·         Be bold, hopeful and realistic!

·         Don’t worry about how you are going to do these things for now, just think about them with a clear mind. 

·         Have fun with this process!

Have a great end of winter and I will check in next month.

 

Bridget Brown 2/22/22

Success Strategies

Success Strategies Blog January 2022

By Bridget Brown

 

I hope you had tons of fun over the holidays.  Maybe you enjoyed a little snow and hopefully, you safely had some time with family and friends.

 

I just started an inclusive college program at UIC and I am very excited and a little nervous.  I am in the first group of students with disabilities in this program.  It is a dream come true for me.

 

One thing that I have found helpful in my life, and as using as I prepare for college, is to identify all the things that help me be successful.  We call them “Success strategies”.

 

I use success strategies in my education, in college, and at my work. Some of my success strategies are: previewing materials, good notes taking, having a schedule, knowing what people expect of me, being organized, and asking for help when I need it. All these things help me be successful.

 

First, I write things that help me be successful down and then share them with the people I will be working with at school or work.  As you plan your life you might want to think of your own success strategies. Write them down and share them with others who you work with or educators if you are still in school.

A good way to discover what your success strategies are is to start your sentences with:
I AM SUCCESSFUL WHEN…. And then fill in the blank!  You can brainstorm ideas with family and friends to see what ideas they have as well.

 

This is a great way to get started!  I recommend you try it out and make sure you share them with others so they can help you along the way! 
Success strategies are part of the Person-Centered Plan that we have been talking about in the last few blogs.

I hope your February is lovely.

Bridget Brown

Gifts and Strengths

 Blog 5

In my last blog, I talked about the power of Dreams!

It is always important to keep dreaming about possibilities even if they seem hard to make them come true.

The next step in designing your life is to think about (and write down) all your gifts, talents, and strengths.

 

What are some things you are good at doing?  What makes you happy and smile?  What are things you enjoy?

You might have a great memory or love movies. You could love swimming and sport as well as acting.  Some people are really good at Math! 

Each person has lots of gifts and strengths. Come up with your own list and then ask people you know and family members to identify what they think your gifts and strengths are and then write them down. You will be surprised at how many gifts and strengths you have.

 

Often our gifts help others find their gifts. 

 

For example, one of my gifts is speaking up for myself and for others.  I think I have been given a clear voice so I can speak for people who don’t have a voice. It is a huge gift.  I can also teach others how to find their own voice.  This is called self-determination.   People with disabilities all have something to say and my gift helps others share their hopes and dreams with the world. I encourage people to share their gifts and strengths with their educational team if they are in school. If a person is out of school it is good to share this information when applying for a job or an internship. 

 

 

So, I suggest that you think of your gifts, strengths, and talents and write your ideas down. Then ask others what they think and write those ideas down.  Take a look at your list and think of how you can use these gifts to make some of your dreams come true.

 

May you all enjoy your New Year celebration and I hope you are looking forward to a great 2022!!!

Bridget Brown

Dec. 28, 2021

Dreams

 

Blog 4 

Nov. 30 2021

Dreams

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! This time of year, I always think about the things I am grateful for in my life.  I am thankful for my life, my family and friends and the people I work with in my jobs.  I am also thankful for all of you who are reading this blog and interested in finding your own voice and gifts.  

I am grateful that I learned to dream big early in my life and that  I found people who have helped me make some of my dreams come true.

In my presentations I always share this quote:

 If the only prayer I say in my life is “THANK YOU” that would be enough.  Meister Eckhart

 

In October I shared some information about Person Centered Planning.  I encouraged each person to think about celebrations in their life.  Maybe you made a Celebration poster of all your big and small accomplishments!  I hope it made you happy to think of all the amazing things you have done.

 

Another important step in your person-centered plan is to think about your DREAMS!  This is the fun part!    Think about all the dreams you have for your life.

Dreams force you to stretch yourself beyond your limits. Sometimes we forget to dream because we just go from day to day in our lives.  But dreams are very important!

 Pretend you have a magic wand and anything can happen.  It is so much fun. What do you want to do in your life, what kind of person do you want to be, where do you want to live, what does your future look like and what do you dream about for today and next year?  Write your thoughts down on a big piece of paper.  Share your thoughts with your family and/or friends and ask them to join you in brainstorming ideas about their dreams for you.

Dream BIG!  Dream BOLD!

Be optimistic and don’t set limits.   

 

 One person said:  “to deny dreams, is to disable the human spirit.”

 

For example: one person dreamed of being a doctor. When we asked him what he would like about being a doctor, he said that he wants to work with people and help them.  He wants to take care of people and help them get better.  Once he talked about all the thing that were connected to being a doctor, he discovered a lot of possibilities in his future.

   

 

Dreaming is an important part of a person-centered plan. You can share your dreams and ask others to help you make some of your dreams come true.  Others can help you create a plan to help you achieve your goals.

 

You can share your dreams with your team in your IEP meeting presentations, share it with family and friends, and at job interviews.  Our dreams are golden.  And this is an opportunity to write all your dreams down so you won’t forget.

 

I hope this is helpful for you and dream big and bold! 

Dwell in the possibilities!!

 

Bridget

 Blog Family Matters #3     Oct 30 2021

Bridget Brown

 

In my last Blog I said that the most important thing each person can do is celebrate the magnificent person you are and your gifts and strengths.

Another very important thing that helped me be successful in my life is doing a person-centered plan every year of my life.

You might be wondering ~ what is person-centered planning?  It is a tool that helps us to plan and design our lives around an individual person and not a “system”.  I describe it as a THINKING MAP.  Basically, it helps you think about the important things in your life and what matters to you. It helps you dream about possibilities and gives you ways to get there. The best way to do a plan is to have a group of important people in your life meet with you to help you think about your future.  It is wonderful to have a facilitator and a graphic recorder who will write down or draw all your ideas and thoughts. This is not always possible so you can make your own booklet if that is the best way to get started.  Ask some people to help you if you can.

Person-centered planning for me has been very helpful in my life. We did this process every year starting when I was 4 years old.  It helped me be included in school and my community. It helped me make plans based my dreams and not on my fears. It also made me realize that my disability doesn’t define me.

A person-centered plan makes you think about your personal mission statement. You discuss and record your gifts and strengths, your dreams, nightmares, your future plans, and how you’re going to reach your goals.   I love it because it is so positive and not negative.  It helps me to identify my abilities and not focus on my disability. I learned how important dreams are because they force you to stretch yourself beyond your limits.

I will talk more about person center planning in future blogs, but for now, you might want to start doing your own person-centered plan.  Start by making a celebration poster. You can use words or pictures to describe what things you have accomplished and the things you are proud of in your life.   This is a way to start your person-centered plan. I like it because you celebrate all your big and small accomplishments.   You can ask other people in your life to help you think about celebrations. This is really fun to do and I encourage you to be creative by using words, pictures, drawings, and/or photos. Thinking about celebrations helps your mind be positive.  It is a creative process and you can do anything you want that makes you happy.

I hope you give this a try.  You will feel proud of yourself and feel hopeful about your future.

Bridget 

 

BLOG SEPT 29 2021

Bridget Brown

 

One of the most important things I have learned in my life is to celebrate the person you are and your gifts and strengths.

Basically, each of us is magnificent! 

I love the word Magnificent because it means: impressively beautiful, elaborate, extravagant; splendid, spectacular, wonderful, Marvelous and excellent.

 

When you are born with a disability sometimes you don’t think you are magnificent because people focus on your disability and they don’t dwell in the possibilities. They see the disability and not our abilities.

 

When I was born, the world identified me only as a girl with a disability called Down Syndrome and not as a unique person with gifts to share with others

Right away they said that I had a disability so …

·         I needed therapy

·         I needed help

·         I needed an IEP

·         I had limited potential

·         I would not be able to do the same things other kids can do so I needed to learn in a special class & maybe in a different and “special” school.

But my family looked beyond my disability label. They saw my potential and dreamed of possibilities!

THEY SAID:

·         She needs some extra help & it might take a while, but she will fly with full wings.

·         She is magnificent just the way she is.   

·         Her disability doesn’t define who she is, so let’s celebrate her gifts.

·         They realized that we never segregate people we value & they believed that I was a person of value. If I was segregated the world would see me as a person who had no gifts to share with others.

·         They recognized my sacred dignity and protected that dignity.

·         They advocated to included me with all the other kids my age because all they wanted was for me was to be a valued human being in my neighborhood and community.

·         THEY DWELLED In the Possibilities!

SO, if you are a person with a disability, you make sure that you wake up every morning and say to yourself “I AM MAGNIFICENT”.   Remember every day to believe in yourself and be positive and hopeful!

It is easy for people to see your disability first and not your abilities.  You are a person of value with gifts to share with the world.  I think this is the most important thing we can do. 

Continue to share your gifts with the world!

BRIDGET BROWN

Butterfly

 Being born with Down Syndrome has never stopped me from reaching my dreams and goals in life.  Down Syndrome is a disability that impacts every part of my life and creates both challenges and opportunities.   It is not easy to have a disability, because I have to work hard to succeed and sometimes people can put limits on my potential. However, I have learned so much on my journey and my life is filled with many blessings.

 

I was one of the first students fully included in my school district and community. Inclusion means that I was a full member of the general education classroom with my peers and I learned everything that other kids my age learned. I participated in any of the activities I was interested in and felt like a full participant.  Inclusion changed my life and opened doors for me that were previously closed for people with disabilities. People opened their doors, minds, and hearts to include me and I am grateful. 

 

Now, I live a full life in my community. I have a few jobs, I am involved in clubs, I volunteer and I am a board member for a few organizations.  Butterflies for Change is my own organization. I do public speaking and inclusion training around the country. I encourage people to think about inclusion of people with disabilities in a new way and give everyone a chance to fully participate in their school and community.

 

  I have learned a lot of amazing things on my journey and I want to share them with others who are designing their own lives.

 

In this blog I will share lots of success strategies that might be helpful for others. My strategies are things I did in my own life that helped me. I will also share many ideas about inclusion, person-centered
planning to design your own life, finding your voice, and learning to fly with full wings. I hope I can contribute and inspire people to dwell in the possibilities.

 

I am passionate about helping people with disabilities find their own voice and live full and exciting lives. I believe people with disabilities can be strong self-advocates and also, they can contribute in many ways in their community and be leaders. 

Bridget Brown 8/28/21