Dream Inspired Planning

The Arc of Florida, in coordination with the Northwest Region Area One Family Care Council (FCC) and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), sponsored a forum on Dream-Inspired Planning held on May 31 at the Pensacola Bay Center. Jonathan Martinis, Legal Director for the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, was the presenter. The audience included APD customers, APD service providers, Waiver Support Coordinators, APD Staff, FCC members, and Arc of Florida Staff. Martinis stressed the importance of plans being rooted in dreams with a coordinated team supporting individuals in reaching those dreams. He went on to explain that everyone has dreams that tell us our values and personal definition of success, with a focus on what we want to do. According to Martinis, dream boards are rooted in corporate America, where they are termed “vision boards.”

All audience members were given the task of creating their own dream board to share. The exercise involved paging through magazines, cutting out pictures of what each person dreams of doing, and creating a collage of dreams. As individuals shared their dream boards, we learned how we could support them. Martinis stressed the importance of coordinating efforts and sharing responsibilities for supporting individuals in reaching their individualized dreams. If we create a culture of coordinated support, service providers will help people with disabilities dream and lead lives of independence and meaning.

Jonathan Martinis, Legal Director for the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, was the presenter.


Lacrisia Johnson, APD Waiting list coordinator, sharing her dream board.