Microboards allow parents and caregivers the ability to create a more secure and meaningful future for their children with special needs. I think it’s safe to assume that you want your child to be able to direct his or her life toward goals and dreams that they have chosen. Some of us may never have thought about how our child will live once they are adults, but we should. And, of course a Microboard can be in place long before adulthood as well! So what, you ask is a Microboard?
In general terms, it is the coming together of a group of friends, family and community members around a particular person to help facilitate both their quality of life, but their hopes and dreams. This group of people gets together and forms an actual non-profit company with them as the governing board members. The person the group is focused on works with the team to develop goals and steps they are going to take to achieve those goals. This process is called a PATH. (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope)
For example, one of my daughters many goals for the year is to go to sleep away camp for “typical” kids in the summer. The board would go to work outlining the steps we need to take to make that happen.
- One of the board members is her assistant, and she agrees to go to camp with her.
- I agree to find a fun camp for her to go to
- Once a camp is selected, we will work with the camp director to get any approvals, waivers, etc
- I try not to freak out that my non-verbal, wheelchair bound, tube fed daughter is in at camp without me.
My daughter’s part:
- Attend 2 one night sleepovers / lock in to see how she handles the environment.
- Help to raise the money to cover the cost of camp
This is just an example and on as we re-visit her goals for the year on a quarterly basis, we will gauge the progress of the goal and make any needed adjustments. She may have 10 goals for the year she is working on at one time. As she gets older her goals may be things like getting a job, going on vacation, living on her own in an apartment and so forth.
The goals will get more expensive over time and as a Micorboard is an actual non-profit organization, the board will be in charge of finances for these goals as well as the daily life of the person it was created to serve. In this way, many of the challenges special needs people face with finances are avoided, as all assets belong to the Microbaord and not the individual.
The rules and procedures for setting up your board will be different from state to state, but here are some resources to get you started!
TennesseeAssociation of Microboards & Cooperatives, INC
Vela Microboards NI (UK)
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