From June 21 to August 1, the MCDD hosted its 5th annual Summer Learning Series. Consisting of 13 virtual, live and interactive workshops across a range of topics, the series was geared toward psychologists, social workers, educators, counselors, nurses, medical staff members, clinical and other community providers, parents and caregivers, students, young adults with IDD, and many others. In partnership with Mirian Ofonedu, PhD, LCSW-C, MCDD’s training director, subject matter experts from across the U.S. served as presenters and shared their knowledge and expertise with attendees.
Eight of the workshops were approved for continuing education units (CEUs) for psychologists and social workers. Those workshops were on topics such as addressing disability bias and providing reasonable accommodations for people with IDD, affordable housing for people with IDD, race and the ASD service pathway, understanding the intersection of racism and suicide risk, understanding a child’s individualized education program, the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and mental health crises in youth with ASD, accessible and affordable transportation for people with disabilities, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).
In addition to the CEU sessions, the MCDD offered five complimentary sessions for students, professionals, self-advocates, caretakers, parents and other community members who wanted to learn more information about the given topics. These sessions included a virtual tour of the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications and Assistive Technology Programs, supporting parents with IDD and their children, and three sessions on creating intentional inclusion for children with disabilities presented by Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration.
Our colleague at Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration presented three important sessions, including “Social Inclusion Leadership and Planning,” “Designing Inclusive Play Spaces for All Children” and “Facilitating Social Inclusion through Play Delivers Transformative Social/Emotional Learning for All Children.” The sessions were well attended and very informative. The MCDD looks forward to a continued training partnership with Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration. Visit Inclusionmatters.org to learn more about the organization’s work. We thank our colleagues at Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration for their insightful presentations and for educating our community on best practices for creating intentional inclusion for children with IDD.
The MCDD’s 2022 Summer Learning Series reached 374 participants from 11 U.S. states and Canada. The MCDD and its training staff members are grateful for the partners and presenters who shared their time and expertise with our community this summer. Visit KennedyKrieger.org/MCDDTraining for more information about our training sessions or email Training.MCDD@KennedyKrieger.org to request a training session.
