Spring Regional Training

Newsletter Guide

Spring Regional Training

• Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Complex Support Needs

Foundations (ACRE) Training Course

April 28th Lunch & Learn

• The Intersection of Personality Disorders & I/DD

2023 Lunch & Learn Schedule

New Recording Available

Individuals with complex support needs require employment specialists with advanced skills in discovery, job development, employer engagement and onsite inclusive supports. This four-hour training will provide evidence-based strategies and practical examples to strengthen employment specialists’ skills and confidence in supporting individuals with complex needs in competitive integrated employment.

Training Objectives:

Information Gathering and Job Development Strategies for Individuals with Complex Support Needs

• Explore employment services barriers and learn strategies to address these challenges

• Acquire information gathering strategies and build customer profiles

• Work through case study examples of job seekers with significant support needs

• Develop a strategy to support a job seeker

Employer Engagement and On-Site Support for Individuals with Complex Support Needs

• Acquire methods for buildings relationships and networking with employers

•  Learn job development strategies to represent job seekers with significant support needs

• Learn professional employment specialist competencies required to support both clients and employers

• Learn to incorporate strategies that go above and beyond traditional job development tactics

Facilitated by Dr. Whitney Ham

Foundations (ACRE) Training Course

Upcoming Courses

Registration is open for the following courses:

• July 10th – September 29, 2023

• October 9 – December 29, 2023

• January 8 – March 29, 2024

• April 8 – June 28, 2024

A new Foundations cohort begins July 10th. This 12-week course is geared to employment specialists in their first or second year of working in the field. The content will provide foundational knowledge on Indiana-specific resources, opportunities, and information about the employment services model. Fundamental employment services content reviewed includes Supported Employment, Customized Employment, Discovery, Job Development, Workplace Supports, Job-site Training, Assistive Technology, Long-term Support.

After completing the Foundations course, employment specialists will receive a National Certificate in Employment Services from the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE).

Course Logistics:

• Forty-hour course separated into 6 lessons across 12 weeks

• Each lesson will be available for two weeks, allowing flexibility for the time and pace at which material is reviewed.

• Cost: $56.25

• Upon graduation, a National Certificate in Employment Services is received.

Friday, April 28th
11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST

In this webinar, participants will learn what a personality disorder is and the many kinds there are. Although each personality disorder is different, they all affect how a person thinks, behaves, and reacts. Participants will hear about the impact’s personality disorders can have on the lives of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, including the many ways employment can be affected.

Learn about:

• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder

• Borderline Personality Disorder

• Dependent Personality Disorder

2023 Lunch & Learn Schedule

Register in advance for this year’s Lunch & Learns. All sessions are from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EST)

• The Intersection of Schizophrenia, Psychosis, & I/DD - May 19th

• A Trauma-Informed Accessibility Approach & How It Can Help Everyone - June 23rd

We welcome you to visit our website and sign up for future Lunch & Learns! The 2023 schedule and sign-up links can be found on our Sign-Up page.

In case you missed our webinar, you can watch the recording on our website. Here is the newest recording!

The Intersectionality of Domestic Violence & Intellectual/Developmental Disability

There are many kinds of abuse: physical, emotional, verbal, psychological, sexual, and financial/economic. People with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) experience them all. However, it can be especially difficult for people with IDD to access domestic violence services. This is why it is important to learn about how to recognize and respond when someone with IDD discloses abuse.

In March we learned about the following:

• Signs and how disability-specific abuse can look

• Common reasons why people with IDD do not report

• Services and how to report in Indiana

You will find this recorded webinar at the top of our mental health resource page by clicking the button below.