Learning. Unlearning. Relearning.
“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Understanding and embracing the journey of learning, unlearning, and relearning is crucial for professionals in the disability sector, especially as the sector adapts and evolves to better meet the needs of those it serves. There is a significant amount of traditional service-driven practice that must be unlearned, along with a need to relearn and adapt to person-driven practices. This shift emphasizes the importance of viewing individuals as active participants in their own lives, in line with the principles of the Enabling Good Lives approach.
At Interactionz, we are proud of our strong commitment to fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Our philosophical and financial investment in research and development led to the creation of a comprehensive scoping report focused on person-driven practice in 2008. This document not only outlined our best understanding of this concept at that time, but also provided a framework for its implementation within our organisation’s service delivery model.
As we have progressed, we have deepened our understanding of the underlying philosophy that supports person-driven practice. This is articulated most succinctly through the Lightest Touch principle, which advocates for minimal intervention and maximal empowerment of individuals.
Additionally, we have worked to incorporate the Enabling Good Lives principles, published in 2011, into our daily practices. These principles aim to create a system that empowers individuals to shape their own lives and pursue their personal dreams and goals.
The insights we have gained, and the preconceptions we have challenged along the way, have directly influenced the development of our innovative training offerings. These offerings are designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to support individuals in leading self-determined lives.
Our principles-based practice encapsulates our current best thinking on how to facilitate opportunities for individuals to define and pursue their own visions of a good life. We focus on helping people envision their aspirations and participate actively in the process of achieving them.
In addition, we offer a suite of Visual Processes workshops that cover essential principles of graphic facilitation. These workshops aim to enhance communication and planning strategies, enabling professionals to engage more effectively with the people they support. Participants will learn how to use various facilitation tools including PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) and MAP (Making Action Plans), as well as Interactionz’ process known as FOCUS. These tools help individuals articulate their goals and create actionable plans to realise them.
We believe that knowledge is most effective when shared, and we invite anyone interested to join us on this enlightening and transformative learning journey. We are eager to collaborate with others and enrich the collective understanding of person-driven practice within the disability sector.
By working together, we can drive meaningful change and create a future where everyone can thrive!