Catalog of Trainings
Connecting with Neighbors with Disabilities
Suggested Audience
•Community Organizations •Nonprofits/NGOs •Local Government •Disability Professionals •Other Professionals •Therapists/Clinicians
Course Length
This material can be presented in abbreviated form in 1.25 hours. With full discussion and interactive elements, the training is 2 hours.
Training Description
This training offers an introduction to skills and knowledge that help you connect with, support, and recognize the contributions of people with developmental disabilities in our community. We will discuss how to identify various disabilities, how to use disability etiquette to build relationship, and learn skills from a conversational toolbox that aim to help you better communicate with and understand our neighbors with developmental disabilities.
Safety First
Suggested Audience
•Self Advocates/People with IDD
**Note: This course is presented in two formats: 1) Safety First for Teens and 2) Safety First for Adults. We identify “adults” as 18+.
Course Length
This course length can be adapted to meet your groups needs. It can be presented as a one-time overview or a three- to five-part course. Each class is 1.25 hours long. Classes will always begin at 4pm due to the scheduling needs of the volunteering officers.
Training Description
The Boulder Police Department in collaboration with the ACL presents a free Safety First course for adults with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD).
Safety First is generally presented as a three-part course taught by Boulder Police Officers.
Decision making skills
Street smart safety
Home security
Fire safety
Getting around town safely
Calling on police support and 911
Safety First offers small group discussions, some classroom-style lecture, and lots of positive interactions with police!
Course Guidelines
1) Registration is required. You must register and attend the entire course (contact us for exceptions).
2) This course is now offered online via Zoom. If the class attendee needs assistance learning how to access a virtual course, please contact us in advance, and we will meet with the attendee to teach the tech skills needed prior to the class date.
3) Class time is 4pm to 5:15pm. Please plan to be logged in and ready to go 5 minutes before class begins.
4) If the attendee uses devices or technology for accessibility, needs online supervision, or uses other supports to communicate, please plan to have those supports in place for the course.
No Shushing: Creating Inclusive Events
Suggested Audience
•Community Organizations •Nonprofits/NGOs •Local Government
Course Length
The online version of this training is 1 to 1.5 hours in length. If you are actively creating an inclusive event, we may ask for an additional one-hour consultation prior to the training to learn about the specifics of your event.
Training Description
These days, most of us are familiar with hearing about “Sensory Friendly” events. But, what does this mean and how would you create one? This training looks at the finer details of turning your event into one that is inclusive of people with disabilities, those who are neurodiverse, and people with sensory integration needs. This training is a combination of a consultation with the event organizers followed by a broader training for staff or volunteers who will be offering support at the event. If your organization isn’t ready to plan an event yet, and you just want to understand more about creating inclusive events, we can do that, too!
Law Enforcement & People with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities
Suggested Audience
•Police Departments •Sheriffs Offices •DA’s Office •Jail Staff •Crisis Response Teams
Course Length
This material can be presented in abbreviated form in 1.5 hours. With full discussion and learning integration elements, the training is 2.5 hours or 3 consecutive 1-hour sessions.
Learning Objectives
1) What is an IDD? What is an intellectual and developmental disability and how is it different from a mental health issue?
2) Encounters Reasons you may encounter a person with an IDD
3) Identifying IDD How will you know if a person has an intellectual developmental disability?
4) Skills & Vignettes Use case studies and vignettes to learn the application of tools and strategies when working with people with IDD
5) Resources Overview of local resources and agencies
6) Learning Integration Discussion and checking for learning comprehension and integration
Our Words, Our Attitudes
Suggested Audience
•Community Organizations •Nonprofits/NGOs •Local Government •Disability Professionals •Other Professionals •Schools •Therapists/Clinicians
Course Length
Material presentation is 45 minutes. Can be expanded with interactive, practical application elements to 1.5 hours.
Training Description
Investigate the critiques and endorsements of language models including Person First Language, Identity First Language, jargon, and euphemisms. Material based upon experimental research, in-depth interviews, and focus groups with people with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Learn about the rights movements promoting change and how these language models are perceived and affect the lives of people with IDD.
Sex, Sexuality, & Relationship: Talking About Sex and Safety with People with IDD
Suggested Audience
•Case Management •Disability Professionals •Schools/Teachers •Therapists/Clinicians
Course Length
This presentation must include interactive elements and discussion in order to promote emotional safety and self-care. The presentation is 2.25 hours in length.
Training Description
Take an unfiltered look at our culture’s relationship to sexuality and learn how this affects people with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD) through its contribution to the ableism bias. Further your understanding of your own biases cultivated in childhood. Learn to implement a model that supports healthy relationships and sexuality for people with IDD.
Trauma-Informed Supports: Building Safe Spaces & Interventions for People with IDD
Suggested Audience
•Case Management •Disability Professionals •Therapists/Clinicians •Schools/Teachers •Rape Crisis Centers •Domestic Violence Shelters
Course Length
Please see the course syllabus for details and recommendations for course legnth.
Training Description
In order to provide person-centered care and planning for people with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD), we must consider the astonishingly high prevalence of trauma in the lives of people with IDD. Traumatic events can impact mental health, substance use, physical health, and behavioral health. This training will examine the effects of trauma and how some behavioral interventions are not a productive approach for people with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Further, we will explore trauma-informed strategies that promote safety and security. Participants will learn how to prepare for, recognize, and be responsive to the effects and impact of trauma in the lives of people with IDD and begin the shift from simple compliance to well-being and happiness.
Frazzled & Weary: Strategies for Resilience
Suggested Audience
•Everyone! (Plain language/Learning-accessible adaptation available upon request)
Course Length
2 hours with interactive elements
Training Description
Learn how stress may affect you, your work, and your wellbeing. We will discuss the science and neurobiology of stress, learn how stress can influence your health, and examine the stages of “burnout” and compassion fatigue. Throughout the workshop, we will practice strategies that can help increase your overall wellbeing and mitigate the negative effects of stress. The presentation will incorporate activities for self-exploration designed to help you learn about your personality and your personal response to stress.
83%: The Intersection of Disability and Sexual Violence
Suggested Audience
•Case Management •Disability Professionals •Therapists/Clinicians •Schools/Teachers •Rape Crisis Centers •Domestic Violence Shelters
Course Length
2 hour to 3 hour duration based upon level of experiential and interactive material.
Training Description
Those at the ‘Intersection’ are three times more likely to experience sexual violence in their lives. However, the overwhelming majority of services for survivors of sexual assault do not have the supports in place to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This training will stimulate thought about the social constructs and social barriers surrounding developmental disabilities, and will explore how those constructs contribute to the lack of reporting and the targeting and abuse of people with disabilities. Participants will 1) learn how to identify various disabilities, 2) how to use disability etiquette to build relationship, 3) discuss new concepts that inform their work, 4) learn how to assess the disability-awareness of their own organization, and 5) gain access to skills from a conversational toolbox that aim to help better communicate with our neighbors with developmental disabilities.