Training and Education

In person Trainings and Virtual Trainings are offered

• Package pricing is also available

 Please reach out via the Training and Education Inquiry Form for more information. 

A 14% indirect charge is applied to all training services.

Training Inquiry Form

Inclusive Workplace

The Neurodiversity Movement Training

This training provides an overview of neurodiversity, building an inclusive workforce, breaking down barriers to employment, and understanding the business case for hiring individuals of all abilities. This training is interactive and thought provoking, designed to provide strategies and education for employers to be better prepared to hire, retain, and manage individuals with disabilities as part of the workforce.  Currently 80% of individuals who identify as having a disability are currently not part of the workforce, and this training provides business solutions for advancing an organization's workforce, workplace accommodations, universal design, and partnering with adult service agencies as a recruitment strategy. 

This presentation will cover the following topics and more: 

• Barriers to employment for individuals with disabilities
• Best practices for recruitment, management, and retention strategies
• Disability education
• Workplace accommodations
• Self-disclosure
• What is an adult service provider
• Communication, interview, and onboarding strategies
• Employer and provider collaboration for recruitment
• First-hand experiences from businesses and the individuals they employ
• Overview of Universal Design 

The Neurodiversity Movement Part 1 Building an Inclusive Workforce, Getting Started

Course Description 
This presentation provides an overview of neurodiversity, building an inclusive workforce, breaking down barriers to employment, and understanding the business case for hiring individuals of all abilities. 

The Neurodiversity Movement Part 2 Fostering and Sustaining Provider and Business Relationships 

Course Description 
As businesses continue to hire individuals with a range of abilities, business leaders need support and guidance from experts in the field of adult services. This presentation will focus on, what is an adult service provider, how to foster and sustain relationships between the business’s community and adult service providers, and first-hand experiences from businesses and the individuals they employee. 

Strategic Approaches Universal Design 

Course Description 
This presentation provides an overview of universal design, and how businesses can apply universal design philosophies to building a more inclusive workforce. 

Strategic Approaches Overview of Disabilities 

Course Description  
This presentation will provide a brief overview of disabilities, disability services, and strategies to support an inclusive workforce. 

Strategic Approaches Interview and Workplace Modifications 

Course Description
This presentation will provide concrete strategies that businesses can implement to hire and retain individuals with disabilities. These strategies will break down the barriers that impact individuals with disabilities from obtaining meaningful employment. 

Strategic Approaches Adjusting to a Remote Workplace 

Course Description 
This presentation will focus on developing, designing, and maintaining a remote workplace post pandemic. We will look at lessons learned, benefits, and what supports businesses should considering keeping in place. This section will be discussion focused. 

Transition School to Adulthood

Setting Up Students for Success

Course Description 

This presentation provides an overview of best practices for setting students up for a successful transition to adulthood. Presenters will discuss the various pathways available to students after high school and the importance of engaging students’ family members, teachers and other support team members in the transition process. This interdisciplinary, person-centered approach empowers youth with disabilities and their family members to educate themselves to be able to make well-informed decisions about their future.

Attendees will learn:

•    How to identify transition practices and successful strategies within programs that can be implemented broadly
•    Best practices for a successful transition from school to adulthood
•    Strategies for setting up expectations for members of the student’s support team
•    Strategies for implementing person-centered planning throughout the transition process
 

Employment Services 

Job Development 101

Course Description 

A multifaceted approach to helping individuals with disabilities obtain and maintain meaningful employment and community engagement. A person-centered process that aims to support individuals in obtaining and maintaining paid employment. The course is divided into three parts.  The first part of the session will provide an overview of the service delivery models available around employment services and break down the job development process. The second part of the session gives you tools and best practices of the job development process that promote job advancement and career development. The third part of this session will focus on best practices to develop and maintain relationships with businesses and industry representatives.  The presenters will give examples of how business relationships are built and examples of ways to sustain and grow the relationships.

Learning objectives 

• Increase knowledge of person-centered goals to promote job advancement and career development 
• Increase knowledge of best practices for employment and career opportunities
• Increase strategies to develop and maintain relationships with businesses and industry representatives    

The Role of the Job Coach

Course Description

The job coach is an integral part of supporting individuals to gain workplace knowledge, job readiness skills, and maintain and obtain meaningful, competitive integrated employment.  The course will discuss the role of the job coach and best practices related to ways to enhance job skills, prepare individuals for job interviews, job development, community surveying, business relationships building and create successful training techniques to support what to expect in the work environment and maintain employment. The course will also discuss ways to build natural supports in the workplace and community that build on relationships and networks.

 Learning objectives 

• Supporting employment choices
• Develop one-on-one individualized training techniques and modifications for the workplace
• Developing and supporting a network of natural supports
• Development of employability and job-related skills  

Successful Strategies for Implementation of Employment Services

Course Description

Why Customized Employment? We promote the identification of interests, talents, and conditions for employment.  We will use evidence-based best practices to support the implementation of competitive, integrated employment services. This course discusses how Customized Employment is a flexible process designed to meet the needs of the job applicant and the business. This course also includes strategies on building and maintaining business relationships by offering trainings and person-centered approaches to employee retention and promotion.

Learning objectives 

• Why customized employment
• Using an evidence-based model for creating employment services based in competitive integrated employment strategies
• Creating employee retention implementation strategies 

Advocacy Awareness

Course Description

In addition to making people aware of their rights, supporters have an important role in helping to determine if these rights are being realized.  This course will give conversation to determine whether the services the person receives provide opportunities for inclusion, choice, and independence, and whether advocacy is needed. It’s important to ask, listen, and observe to learn what the individual you support really wants for their community and work balance. This course will discuss what it means to be an advocate in different roles. Also become an attitude influencer affecting the employment and retention rate of individuals with disabilities.

Learning objectives 

• The role of an advocate (family, friend, job coach, an employer)
• Self – determination goal setting
• Everyone Communicates
• Overcome the Attitudinal barriers 

Partnership Training

Maryland APSE (Association for People Supporting Employment First)

Voter Registration, Voter rights, and playing a support role as an accommodation

Course Description 

• The importance of advocacy and voting.
• Your vote is how you influence policy and your vote is your voice.
• Voting is a right and a responsibility and there are people who have worked really hard to ensure people with disabilities have the right to vote.
• Who can support you when voting. 

Click here for more information on Maryland APSE.

CESP – Learn about the benefits, credential, examination process, and the National APSE organization 

Course Description

The CESP credential is designed for job coaches, job developers, transition employment specialists, job placement personnel, and employment specialists/ consultants who serve a wide variety of target audiences, including individuals with intellectual/ developmental disabilities, mental health diagnoses, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and autism spectrum disorders. In this discussion, participants will learn about the benefits of the CESP credential, how to register and prepare for the examination, and a better understanding of the overall goals of National APSE.

Maryland Works – The Employment Works Program: How to Become a Vendor and Access Jobs

Course Description 

This presentation will give a high-level overview of Maryland Works and the Employment Works Program. It will describe how a business or individual with a disability who owns a business can become an eligible vendor with MD Works.  

The Employment Works Program strives to create equitable employment opportunities for people with disabilities, while providing the State of Maryland with high quality services and commodities. Maryland Works, is designated to coordinate contracting activities between the State of Maryland, Community Service Providers, and people with Disability Owned Businesses. This is in accordance with the State Finance and Procurement Article, Sections 14-101 through 14-108 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.