With profound regret, we announce the passing of our dear friend and lifelong colleague - John W. O'Brien.
John passed peacefully in his sleep on the morning of June 27, 2025.
Read his obituary here. Then, click below to read and watch some of John and Connie’s incredible contributions to all of us on their Change Makers page.
We have had the privilege of working with many remarkable colleagues who share life long passions to build a world that welcomes the talents and capacities of every person into participation in community life. We have created collections of some of the key articles, videos and resources created individually and collaboratively - mostly "free downloads”. These treasured resources reflect decades of work by creators and actors in the cultural struggle to introduce and nurture basic concepts like ‘inclusion’ and ‘person-centered’ work for all.
Inclusion Press is about inclusion — for all — in education and community. Here are resources to purchase, to download (free), and to research the deep history of inclusion. Welcome!
Free eBook of the Month!
Coloring Book: Make a Difference (eBook)
John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien created the Valued Experiences framework and now invite you to colourize your own story with the Valued Experiences Colouring book.
John O’Brien and Carol Blessing, Editors, gathered and interviewed key practitioners of various approaches to person-centered work: Personal Futures Planning, MAPS, PATH, Person-Centered Thinking Tools and Essential Lifestyle Planning, and Cultivating True Livelihood.
Meet and explore with some of the founders and developers of these approaches to person ceneterd ways of working, as well as developers of approaches to organization and community development.
This is Volume III in the Person Centered Planning series.
John O’Brien & Beth Mount explore the key question: “What more is possible?” Holding this question in a useful way makes room for the uncertainty that goes with a process of discovery, emergence and iterative design. Predictors shift from judgements about the effects of a person’s impairments on their potential achievements to the level of resourcefulness, courage and creativity a person and his or her allies can mobilize over time.
John O’Brien is a thinker who has profoundly influenced our understanding of the language we use to describe the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We examined the philosophy of personalism and its transformative effect on person-centered planning.