Vocational Department Training Curriculum

Center of Hope Foundation

Written by: Luke Jajliardo

October 2012

Version 1

Vocational Department Training Curriculum:

Objective: To foster the idea that the role of Center of Hope staff members are to advocate for individuals with disabilities to make positive life decisions, and to assist the individual with daily activities as a peer. Rational: This curriculum takes a critical view of the relationships that are traditionally created between staff and program members in day programs, and stresses a peer philosophy as its primary mission. This curriculum defines the role of the staff that serves individuals with disabilities as a peer and advocate. Program participants should be free to make as many life decisions as possible. Working with individuals with disabilities involves utilizing every resource available from the agency and the state. In the paradigm that every person is different and has unique needs, staff working for a vocational, day habilitation, sheltered workshop, or a community-based program, should advocate for individuals with disabilities. Advocates empower individuals with disabilities to make positive life decisions and to assist the individual with daily activities while using empathy and understanding to deal with conflicts. One of the ways that staff members can empower program members is to assist in designing participant-centered work and volunteer opportunities. In order to create these opportunities, many factors must be taken into account such as their ISP, cultural heritage, religious beliefs, and other unique dynamics. This curriculum is designed to help staff members communicate with the people that they work with and to assist the individual in making positive life decisions. Everyone has unique beliefs that are based on socio-cultural heritage. Understanding that people are unique is essential to interacting with them in a personal and dignified way. In order for staff members to communicate and interact with the people they work with properly, understanding the program members Behavior Strategies and their objective is essential. By using their behavior strategies, staff members may be able to effectively communicate with the individual while avoiding frustration on the part of the program member and the staff. Reducing conflict before it occurs is one of focuses of this training. Utilizing the agency as a resource can avoid conflicts before they happen, and also can assist in dealing with them in a way that is dignifying to the individual once conflict arises.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Vocational Department a. The peer philosophy exercise b. COH mission c. Vocational Department components d. Who is Everyone e. Who do we serve 2. ISP Objective and Behavior Strategies a. ISP Objectives and role playing b. Tracking c. Task Analysis Form Exercise d. Behavior Plans and Strategies i. Exercise 3. Facilitating Participant Centered Work/ Volunteer Opportunities a. Trash Detail Exercise b. Types of Vocational Opportunities c. Staff role d. Working with program participants 4. The Agency as a Resource a. Interlude b. Communication c. Resources in the Agency 5. Diffusing conflicts a. Candy Land Activity b. Avoiding Conflict c. Redirection d. Staff in Conflict e. Power struggles f. Knowing Why g. Last Resorts h. Empathy Exercise

Vocational Training Part I: Overview: Who do We Serve? 45 minutes Objective: To identify the different parts of the Vocational Department and their functions. Overview: When new staff members start their normal duties, a basic understanding of the different functions of each of its members is essential for their acclamation and success. The instructor should pursue a lecture based method towards part 1 of the vocational training while expanding on the content.

Materials: Introduction to the Vocational Department power point Directions: 1. The instructor will use Introduction to the Vocational Department Power Point to guide the group through a lecture based training. 2. When the instructor comes to the peer philosophy slide, ask the group to follow the directions on the slide, and review their answers as a group. 3. The instructor should add information that they see fit to the power point while attempting to engage the audience as much as possible through questions, and commentary that applies to each slide.

Vocational Training Part II: Behavior Strategies, how to read them, what do they mean 1 hour run time Objective: To identify the role of behavior strategies and ISP objective in the vocational department with respect to individuals job.

Overview: The point of this training is to develop staffs understanding of critical systems and paperwork that are used to develop an individuals ISP and daily schedule. This section in particular is designed to give staff members an idea what it is like to be a program participant going through the different stages of developing an ISP objective, and having their work evaluated with respect to this objective. Materials: ISP Objective and Behavior Strategies Task analysis form exercise Behavior plan exercise Directions: 1. The instructor will start the training by picking a staff member form the training to come sit in a chair situated in the front of the audience. The instructor will inform the group that some of the training staff will be playing the role of a program participant and that they will assist in acting out the different stages of ISP objectives. When role playing with the audience, the instructor should act as though they are explaining these steps to a new program member. Listed below are titles of Power Point slides, and the areas the trainer should highlight and expand on while role playing. a. ISP objectives: What are they? i. Describe what an objective is for ii. How you develop an objective iii. Who is it for

b. Tracking i. How will COH staff measure progress ii. How will the information be collected iii. What is done with the data collected c. Behavior plans i. Pretend the role player has a level 1 behavior plan ii. Explain what it is, what COH can do iii. What COH cannot do iv. Why behavior plans exist 2. While the instructor moves through each of the slides, incorporate the role playing skit as much as possible. Change staff members at each topic transition. (15 minutes) 3. When the instructor reaches the Task Analysis Form exercise, allow the group five minutes to read the case study and highlight or underline key phrases, and 10 minutes to find a partner and fill out the tracking exercise. Discuss activity as a group. (5 minutes) 4. When the instructor reaches the Behavior Plan exercise, allow the group 10 minutes to read the case study and highlight or underline key phrases, and 15 minutes to find a partner and complete the exercise directions. Discuss completed work in a group. (5 minutes)

Vocational Training Part III: Facilitating Participant Centered Work/ Volunteer Opportunities 30 minutes Objective: To simulate the role of staff members while working with COHF program members. Overview: The purpose of this training is to develop the role of a COHF staff member, and how staff members are expected to interact with program members.

Materials: Facilitating Participant Centered Work/ Volunteer Opportunities Directions: 1. Conduct the Trash Detail Exercise by breaking the class into groups of about four. Assign one person in each group the role of the job coach, which is to instruct the rest of the group to remove the trash bags and replace them with new bags in a way that involves everyone. 2. The instructor will use the power point to guide the group through lecture based training. 3. The instructor should add information that they see fit to the power point while attempting to engage the audience as much as possible through questions, and commentary that applies to each slide.

Vocational Training Part IV: The Agency as a Resource 30 minutes Objective: To discover the different resources that exist within the agency that can assist staff members with their job Overview: This training is designed to develop that different divisions of the agency exist to work towards a common goal. The objective of this training is to explore the idea of teamwork and how to one another as a resource.

Materials: The Agency as a Resource Power Point Interlude Ice Breaker Directions: 1. Start the training with the interlude exercise. a. Have the training group meet in the conference room. i. Do not write anything on the board, or have any papers on the table. b. Ask the group to wait silently while you prepare for the training. c. The instructor should appear to be preparing for the training by writing on a piece of paper or organizing a folder.

d. If anyone asks the instructor what is going on, the instructor should respond that they are waiting to start, and just sit tight. e. The instructor should wait until the group becomes either agitated or confused, but should not exceed ten minutes. f. The instructor should then engage the trainees about the purpose of the activity, and how they felt waiting while they had no idea what was happening. The conversation should then focus on how our population feels sitting waiting for a staff member to bring them to work or an appointment, and simply is told to wait patiently. g. The instructor should list the ways this situation could have been avoided through conversation. 2. The instructor will use Vocational Training power point part 4 to guide the group through lecture based training. 3. The instructor should add information that they see fit to the power point while attempting to engage the audience as much as possible through questions, and commentary that applies to each slide.

Vocational Training Part V: Diffusing conflicts

1 Hour Objective: Compare and contrast different methods of conflict resolution though lectures and group activities. Overview: Despite every staff members best efforts, conflicts arise at COHF in various ways. Sometimes these conflicts can be verbal, physical, and even emotional. Understanding why these conflicts happen and how do diffuse them is essential for new Vocational Department staff. Materials: Diffusing conflicts power point part Directions: 1. Conduct the Candy Land Activity by preparing the box of blue, yellow, green, and red figurines on the table and bags at each station. Simply tell the group that they should package ten bags person, and leave the room. Use the power point slide 3 to review exercise. 2. The instructor will use Diffusing conflicts power point to guide the group through lecture based training. 3. The instructor should add information that they see fit to the power point while attempting to engage the audience as much as possible through questions, and commentary that applies to each slide. 4. When the instructor comes to empathy exercise on the last slide, allow the group two 10minutes to read the case study, and list how they feel. 5. Discuss in a group the different staff members responses, and why it is important to have empathy for someone while dealing with conflict resolution. 6. Discuss in a group why knowing someones personal history may affect your decision of what method of conflict resolution to use.