Planning a future can be challenging. Most people plan their future one step at a time, planning forward, toward their dream or goal. The PATH Process , "Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope", is a creative planning tool that actually starts with the dream or end goal in mind, and you plan the action steps backwards from that dream.

In this episode, Annette speaks with Teri Steinberg , a disability consultant and mom, about the PATH Process and how using this you can assist the individual and their support network, plan positive futures. Teri has been building PATH's for over 16 years now, her first PATH being for her son.

When Teri's son Bill was diagnosed with Autism over 20 years ago, she immediately quit her job and began to research everything about it. She began gathering as much information as she could from other parents, support groups, government meetings – anywhere she could find information related to Autism, treatments, services, etc. Teri created a huge information board, which she would share with other parents and support groups. Teri did not want to be a parent that wallowed in grief about her son's diagnosis, but rather a parent of action that did everything she possibly could to assist him and other families in the similar situations.

Teri started meeting with a few parent support groups a few hours a week, offering them all the information she had gathered. She then began working with microboards, which featured a small circle of support people surrounding the disabled focus individual. Unfortunately, Teri felt they focused too much on things the individual would NOT be able to do. She wanted to speak about the individual's strengths and abilities and what he was good at.

Teri was taught the PATH Process by David Wetherow, Jack Pearpoint and Lynda Kahn. PATH is a specific tool that allows you to bring together the disabled individual and the support group of people that know and love him. Everyone sits and discuss the individual's strengths and everything he can do and is good at, rather than focusing on the negative side and what he is not good at. The individual's ideal future dream life is discussed, and then working backwards, the action steps are created to implement a positive life working towards that dream. Everyone in the support group is then enlisted to assist in some part of the individual's PATH.

It is important to note also that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can participate in their life at every level. They should be included in all decisi

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