Dr. Beth Mount is a renowned leader in the field of person-centered planning. Based in New York City, she created Personal Futures Planning for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Mount is an accomplished artist, author, and one of the foundational inventors of person-centered planning. Her work is influenced by Social Role valorization and she has created pathways for individuals with disabilities to play valued social roles, such as employment. Her dedication extends to restoring the quality of person-centered spaces through deep listening and conversation.

Episode Summary:

In this engaging episode, host Chris Liuzzo interviews Dr. Beth Mount, a pioneer in person-centered planning, to delve into the history and future of person-centered work. Sponsored by the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation, the episode navigates the origins of person-centered planning from the 1980s and its crucial role in social justice movements. The conversation emphasizes creating valued roles for individuals with disabilities and reimagining supportive environments.

Dr. Beth Mount shares compelling ideas on how person-centered planning has evolved and highlights the importance of quality, life-giving spaces during the planning process. By focusing on purposeful and deep listening, the conversation unfolds how genuine transformation occurs, and why it's critical to hold spaces that encourage growth over mere completion of tasks. Blending insights from Cornel West with personal anecdotes, Dr. Mount and Chris Liuzzo explore how disrupting old systems can lead to a more just and inclusive society, filled with creativity and passion.

Key Takeaways:

• Person-Centered Origins: The roots of person-centered planning lie in the social justice movements of the 1960s, aligning with public accessibility to education and the civil rights movement.
• Quality of Spaces: The true essence of person-centered planning is the creation of alive, dynamic spaces that nurture deep listening and curiosity, fostering genuine transformation and connection.
• Disruptive Engagement: Authentic person-centered work often disrupts traditional structures, necessitating systemic change to dismantle ingrained devaluation and support individual roles.
• Challenges of Planning: The episode addresses common pitfalls in person-centered planning today, emphasizing the difference between creative interactions and routine procedural meetings that lack impact.
• Justice and Love: Drawing from Cornel West, justice is portrayed as a public expression of love, exemplifying the fusion of compassion and systemic change within person-centered planning.

Notable Quotes:

• "The way we let our longing in, the way we uncover longing is through deep listening, through really deep listening and through collective listening." – Dr. Beth Mount
• "Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public." – Cornel West, as referenced by Dr. Beth Mount
• "Something shifts in us. Something comes in that is surprising and perhaps even mysterious." – Dr. Beth Mount
• "I've become less interested over the years in plans per se, and much more interested in the quality of the spaces that we're making together." – Dr. Beth Mount
• "Justice is the social expression of love, a way to actively care for others, especially the oppressed, on a societal scale." – Dr. Beth Mount

Resources:

• The New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation
• Cornel West - Referenced for his thoughts on justice and love

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