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Partners in Community Inclusion (PICI) is an ongoing facilitated parent group series for families who have young children and transition age youth with developmental disabilities. Through a process of discussion, study and discovery sessions, participants develop skills and strategies that support their long-range inclusion vision for their child, enhance their partnerships with schools, service providers, regional center and their community. Parents participate in a series of consecutive, hands-on collaborative meetings where they work and learn side-by-side other parents and a facilitator. Each parent develops his/her own inclusion vision for his/her own child. When this vision is clearly articulated, parents are guided to create short-term experiences, or activities that help their children develop competencies, confidence, and involvement in the larger community. Periodically, PICI hosts workshops for the community to share important principles that the PICI parents are applying to their own experiences, and that have universal value for all parents. These include: crafting a vision, aligning IEP and IPP goals, and developing effective communication and rapport building skills that lead to strong partnerships and nourish inclusive relationships in the community. The PICI series culminates with the Parent Forum, a unique event where the parents invite the community to hear about the discoveries they have made and the changes that have occurred from the visions that they have developed for their own children.The PICI series owes much of its success to the guidance and direction provided by Mark Starford from the SCILS group. The outcomes that were achieved are a direct result of his teaching and mentorship. One concrete outcome is the tools that Mark developed for this series. We will be including these tools and resources on our website for all to enjoy and grow! |
Special Projects 