Indiana Person-Centered Planning for Disability Transitions

Planning That Starts With the Person, Not the Paperwork

Most guardianship conversations start backwards. Families ask "should we get guardianship?" when the real question is "what does our adult child need to live as independently as possible?" Person-centered planning flips the order — figure out the person's goals, strengths, and support needs first, then determine which legal instruments (if any) are necessary to make those supports work.

Indiana's disability services infrastructure has embraced person-centered planning at multiple levels. The state's Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers require person-centered service plans. The Case Conference Committee (CCC) process under Article 7 incorporates transition planning starting in the eighth grade or when the student turns 14, whichever comes first. And the supported decision-making legislation passed in 2019 is built on the person-centered principle that decision-making capacity exists on a spectrum, not a switch.

What Person-Centered Planning Actually Looks Like

Person-centered planning isn't a single meeting or a form to fill out. It's a structured approach to identifying:

What the person wants. Not what their parents want for them, not what the school system recommends, but what the individual with a disability envisions for their own life — where they want to live, what kind of work or activities they want to pursue, who they want to spend time with, and what matters most to them.

What's working now. Which supports, routines, and relationships are already effective? These are the foundation to build on, not replace.

What's not working. Where are the gaps? Is the person unsafe in certain situations? Are there recurring crises that could be prevented with the right support structure?

What needs to happen. Concrete action steps with specific people responsible for each one. "Help with finances" becomes "Mom reviews bank statements weekly and Alex approves purchases over $100 through a supported decision-making agreement."

Charting the LifeCourse Framework

The Charting the LifeCourse framework, developed by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Human Development, has become a go-to planning tool in Indiana's disability community. Indiana Family to Family and The Arc of Indiana both use LifeCourse tools in their family support work.

The framework organizes planning around six life domains:

1. Daily life and employment — daily routines, work, volunteering, and productivity
2. Community living — where and how the person lives, housing options
3. Social and spirituality — relationships, friendships, community connections, faith
4. Healthy living — physical and mental health, medical care, wellness
5. Safety and security — personal safety, legal protections, financial security
6. Citizenship and advocacy — voting, civic participation, self-advocacy

For each domain, families map out what the person's vision looks like, what they have right now, what they need, and what specific supports or services will bridge the gap.

How This Connects to the Guardianship Decision

Person-centered planning doesn't replace the legal analysis — it informs it. When families work through the LifeCourse domains systematically, the guardianship question answers itself in most cases:

The person needs support but can make their own choices with help. → Supported decision-making agreement. The planning process identifies who the supporters should be and which decisions they'll help with.

The person can delegate authority for specific areas. → Power of attorney for finances, healthcare representative appointment for medical decisions. The planning process clarifies which domains need formal delegation and which ones the person manages independently.

The person cannot participate in decisions even with support. → Limited guardianship targeting only the domains where the person genuinely cannot function. The planning process documents exactly which domains require court-ordered authority and which ones the person should retain.

The person manages everything with minimal support. → No legal instruments needed beyond a HIPAA release and perhaps a FERPA release. The planning process documents the informal support network that makes this possible.

Person-Centered Planning in Indiana's Legal Framework

Several Indiana legal mechanisms explicitly incorporate person-centered planning principles:

Article 7 transition planning. School districts must convene Case Conference Committee meetings to plan for the student's transition to adult services. Since 2023, these meetings must include discussion of supported decision-making and other alternatives to guardianship. A well-done person-centered plan feeds directly into the IEP transition goals.

HCBS waiver services. Indiana's Family Supports Waiver, Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver, and other HCBS programs require person-centered service plans. If your adult child is on a waiver, the person-centered plan you develop for guardianship-alternative purposes can align directly with the waiver service plan.

Guardianship petition requirements. Indiana courts must consider less-restrictive alternatives before granting a guardianship petition. A documented person-centered plan that shows the individual's support needs being met without guardianship is strong evidence that court-imposed authority isn't necessary.

Getting Started

You don't need a professional facilitator to begin person-centered planning, though organizations like Indiana Family to Family and The Arc of Indiana offer structured workshops and peer support for families going through the process.

Start with three conversations:

1. With the individual. What do they want? What are they afraid of? What do they enjoy? Even people with significant cognitive limitations can express preferences — through behavior patterns, emotional responses, and choices they make in daily life.

2. With the existing support network. Teachers, therapists, direct support professionals, and family members who interact with the person daily. Where are the gaps? What's working? What keeps failing?

3. With the person's healthcare team. What is the clinical picture? Is capacity likely to improve, remain stable, or decline? The medical perspective shapes which legal instruments make sense long-term.

The Indiana Guardianship & Alternatives Guide integrates person-centered planning into the legal decision-making process, with a decision comparison worksheet that maps support needs to the specific legal instruments available under Indiana law.

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