RTC on Community Living Offers Customized Training for Agencies
Among the wide range of expertise available through ICI's Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL) is customized training to meet specific organizational needs. "As the system of services and supports for people with disabilities continues to evolve, customized training is a valuable resource for organizations who are engaged in supporting people using best practices in community living," says Barb Kleist, who oversees most of RTC-CL's customized training.Among recent customized trainings were the full-day trainings in November delivered by Kelly Nye-Lengerman (pictured here, center), Joe Timmons (left), and Jody Hofer Van Ness from the RTC-CL at various Minnesota Diversified Industries' (MDI) sites. The trainings build capacity at MDI in Customized Employment, and using their RTC-CL training, MDI staff will work with local businesses to develop integrated employment opportunities for workers with disabilities. A month earlier, the RTC-CL's Mark Olson (pictured here, right) traveled to North Dakota to deliver two train-the-trainer sessions for the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (UCEDD) on the implementation of Active Support in community settings. Active Support is helping people to be actively, consistently, and meaningfully engaged in their own lives, regardless of support needs.RTC-CL offers customized trainings on a range of topics, including Direct Support workforce development; Find, Choose, and Keep Great DSPs; Active Supports; Person Centered Practices and Planning; Positive Behavior Supports; Person Centered Employment Practices, and Employment First. The RTC-CL conducts a wide range of research, training, and technical assistance and dissemination projects related to community supports under its center grant and related project funding. The center grant is from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education.