About this episode

David Toback discusses practical tools for implementing person-centered support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In this ID Health Matters podcast episode, David Toback discusses how to put person-centered thinking into daily practice when supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He emphasizes that person-centered support means seeing individuals as whole people rather than focusing only on diagnoses, and describes several practical tools: the Learning Log, which captures meaningful observations about what worked and did not work during everyday experiences; the Two-Minute Drill, a simple technique for encouraging participation and generating ideas in meetings and conversations; and Branching Conversations, which use curiosity and thoughtful follow-up questions to better understand what matters to a person. Toback also stresses the importance of "guess, ask, write" — avoiding assumptions, verifying understanding with the individual, and documenting their intentions rather than staff interpretations. Throughout the discussion, he highlights that listening first, acting with people rather than upon them, and ensuring their voices are heard can improve relationships, quality of life, and support outcomes while promoting dignity, inclusion, and genuine human connection.

People in this episode

Guest: David Toback

Topics covered

• person-centered support
• intellectual disabilities
• developmental disabilities
• practical tools
• quality of life
• human connection

Keywords

• person-centered thinking
• Learning Log
• Two-Minute Drill
• Branching Conversations
• dignity
• inclusion
• support outcomes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IntellectAbility

More episodes of IDD Health Matters

• Ep 156: Dignity, Technology, and the Future of Disability Services · July 12, 2026 · 26 min
• Ep 155: Empowering Lifelong Learning for People with Disabilities · July 2, 2026 · 20 min
• Ep 154: IDD Perspectives Webinar with Jonathon Crumley · June 29, 2026 · 55 min
• Ep 153: Fixing Care and Workforce Challenges in Developmental Disabilities · June 22, 2026 · 34 min
• Ep 152: From Overlooked to Advocate: Neil Romano's Fight for Disability Rights and Respect · June 15, 2026 · 36 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the IDD Health Matters podcast page.