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Certificate and AA in Direct Support Education
Taft College, working with The Arc of California and the National College of Direct Support, is offering a new Associates degree – Direct Support Education. It is an all online program that can be accessed from anywhere. The goal of the DSE program is to help create a career ladder in working with individuals with disabilities.
The Direct Support Education (DSE) Associates Degree is designed to educate students in the care of individuals with disabilities. The program consists of six classes (18 units) that provide a broad background for working with individuals with disabilities, in addition, to the 42 units of basic education classes needed for an associates degree. The 18 units of DSE classes (CSU transferable) include: Introduction to Developmental Disabilities (DSE 1501), Documentation and Individual Rights and Choices (DSE 1502), Introduction to Medication Support (DSE 1503), Cultural Competency (DSE 1504), Teaching Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Dealing with Challenging Behavior (DSE 1505), and Maltreatment and Safety at Home and in the Community (DSE 1506). At this time, all of these classes are offered online.
This program is designed to equip students who are currently working with individuals with disabilities or want to work in this field with a strong foundation in skills in effective communication, understanding of the systems that are associated with working with individuals with disabilities, general guidelines and documentation methods, the importance of confidentiality, how to support people as they effectively and safely manage their basic health, personal needs, how to deal with behavioral issues, maltreatment of individuals with disabilities, mandatory reporting, self advocacy, and safety. The courses will also cover topics that deal with a wide variety of personal perspectives, different cultures and life circumstances.
In addition, the core classes of the DSE program can also be used by individuals who work in the medical field, social services, teachers, and any other professionals that work with individuals with disabilities for CEU’s. These classes, and the entire associate’s degree, are offered online. Since Taft College is the only Junior College that offers an Associates degree in DSE, online classes allow students to participate no matter where they live.
For more information contact: Susan Vaughan, Learning Specialist, Taft College, 661.763.7927 or e-mail at svaughan@taft.org.
College of Direct Support
The College of Direct Support is a web-based learning management system available 24 hours per day, seven days per week for direct support professionals to improve their skills in caring for people across disabilities.
CDS now reaches learners in states from coast to coast with approximately 40,000 people making use of the training on a daily basis. They are training direct support workers in California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kansas, Tennessee, South Dakota, New Hampshire and Missouri, to name a few. Their training curriculum is infused with a set of values and skill standards to train direct support professionals and their supervisors and managers as they support people in community-based settings. Values such as inclusion, honored rights, leading self-determined lives and ethical, values-based treatment, among others, are at the core of CDS training and their mission.
The QMRP Online
This site is dedicated to all who care for and work with people with developmental disabilities – to those who provide direct personal care, as well as family members, friends, educators, and those in law enforcement. They hope to promote a greater understanding of people with developmental disabilities by providing accurate information, a place to learn, to exchange ideas, and find some support. The QMRP Online offers a wide range of support services from consulting to education seminars to QMRP training.
the SEED
(Supported Employment Education Designs)
Mindy Oppenheim planted the SEED in the spring of 1994 to provide great (and fun) training for rehabilitation, supported employment, welfare-to-work, school-to-work transition and special education staff.
the SEED offers personal and professional development workshops for job coaches, job developers, employers, management and special education teachers. Disability awareness workshops are also offered. Upcoming workshops include Job Coach and Instructor “Trainer” Certification and Job Developer Certification Training.
Online courses are also offered by the SEED and provide an overview of developmental disability, the rights of people with developmental disabilities, history and overview of supported employment, job development boot camp, as well as a learning styles approach to training and coaching.
Visit the SEED at www.staffdevelopment.net to view upcoming workshops and for more information about online learning and staff development opportunities.
the ToolBox
After many years as an administrator and staff trainer in profit, nonprofit and governmental human service organizations, Linda LaPointe now operates her own company.
The ToolBox, is a publishing, training and consulting firm featuring her staff training materials and programs.
The goal of the Web site is to provide tools for direct support professionals and their supervisors to create humane workplaces and human services. Visitors to the site can sign up for teleclasses, browse through a variety of free resources, download education tools and read the E-tools newsletter.