Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute
describes the difference between Person-centered and System-centered services perfectly:

Person-centered services assume that the "driver" of the services is the person who is making the request for services. It assumes that the person and those who know and care best about the person is the foremost expert and authority in the type of service and support that the person may want or need in order to get on with the business of life.
This also implies that the services and supports that the person requests and receives are uniquely designed to be responsive to individual needs and desires.

Most service systems are not set up to provide the level of intensity required to customize services.  For organizations to move away from system-centered support toward supports and services that are more person-centered or person-driven, shifts in priorities need to happen. Culture, leadership, organizational structure and design must align with the values and principles of person-centered work.

Person-centered service focuses all aspects of service planning, funding and delivery on the person (referred to officially as the client, or consumer) with the barrier to employment or disability.  It emphasizes and evaluates a person’s skills, desires, needs, and preferences rather than trying to fit the consumer into jobs or programs that are pre-determined or systemically administered.

This approach gives clients and their families the power to use the resources they have access to in ways that enrich their lives.
The clients and their families and counselors set goals and develop a plan that describes the services and supports they want and need and how ADS/CP can best provide these services.  The plan builds on an individual’s strengths, interests and talents, and it targets appropriate levels of support to achieve specific results in the client’s life.

In conclusion, the primary purpose of the person-centered approach is to help individuals with barriers to employment live more meaningful, fulfilling lives by increasing choice and control.
Avenue D Services/Career Pathways pledges itself to Person-Centered Planning and Service.