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CDS, Philadelphia Insurance Offer
Risk Management Plan Reductions
The College of Direct Support (CDS) and the Philadelphia Insurance Companies have become partners in a special program that offers agencies that support people with developmental disabilities access to the CDS curriculum and a 5 percent discount on their risk management insurance premiums.
The CDS Learning Management System provides the highest quality on-line training curriculum -- available 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- developed in subject areas that have been deemed as most important for people in direct support roles.
Philadelphia Insurance Companies has identified 12 CDS courses that will help all employees and Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) safeguard against accidents and other risks and perils associated with the work done on a daily basis. Philadelphia Insurance’s risk management professionals believe that the training the Direct Support staff receives through CDS will make workplaces safer and provide a higher level of safety for employees and the people served.
Here are the details of this new program:
- Philadelphia Insurance Companies has identified 12 courses within the CDS curriculum that will help all employees safeguard against accidents and other risks.
- Your organization becomes eligible for the 5% discount on your risk management premiums once 50% of your employees have each completed the first six specified on-line courses provided by CDS.
- You will be eligible for this discount at the renewal time for your policy, which can save you thousands of dollars on your annual business and liability insurance premium.
- If you are already a Philadelphia Insurance policyholder, you can immediately take advantage of the insurance savings program. Your broker and regional representative of Philadelphia Insurance Company will work with you to optimize savings.
- You may participate in the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) National Credentialing Program to recognize and reward employees. It is well known that professional recognition helps increase morale and self-esteem for employees in any profession. Information on the NADSP program can be found at www.nadsp.org.
For additional information, click on this LINK to learn more details about the CDS and Philadelphia Insurance program. There is a second document that explains the program in more detail and it can found HERE.
If you are a Philadelphia Insurance client, call 1.800.873.4552 for more details and you may contact Bill Tapp at the College of Direct Support at 1.877.353.2767 or via email at bill@collegeofdirectsupport.com to learn more about this program.
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Rest Assured Joins Therap & CDS
In April Side-by-Side Conference II
Dustin Wright |
Rest Assured Telecare Support Services is joining The College of Direct Support (CDS) and Therap in Murfreesboro, TN., for the second joint training conference – "Side-by-Side Technology: Therap-CDS Training Conference II" -- on April 28-30 at the Doubletree Hotel.
Murfreesboro, the home of Middle Tennessee State University, is 30 minutes from the Nashville International Airport and approximately 40 minutes from Downtown Nashville. To learn more about the conference and register for the event, please visit www.therapservices.net and click on the "Conferences" link. For additional information, call 203.596.7553.
The first CDS-Therap conference in Overland Park, KS in the fall of 2008 attracted 100 attendees that brought together two industry leaders in the field of utilizing web-based technology to support people with developmental disabilities and educating and training a workforce to deliver the support services.
Rest Assured is a real time monitoring system with two-way communications that started in 2001. Broadband wireless technology is used to link individual homes to a central monitoring station. Benefits include home safety and security, quick access to support when needed, weather alerts, and independence with just the right amount of oversight.
This new telecare service seeks to ensure the same level of safety and security for consumers, while increasing their independence, through use of an off-site electronic staff support and quick response system. Rest Assured is now serving people in six states – Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Kansas and Texas.
Dustin Wright, Rest Assured's general manager who will be at the conference, explains that the staff support is accomplished through the creative use of an interactive web-based system of electronic devices. This includes the use of electronic sensors, speakers and microphones, web-cam(s) in common areas, smoke detectors, temperature detector and personal-assistance systems.
These devices link each consumer's home or apartment to a remote location where remote direct support staff electronically support consumers in multiple living sites. You can learn more about Rest Assured at its website – www.restassuredsystem.com
Therap Services, LLC, based in Waterbury, CT, is a web-based service organization that provides an integrated solution for documentation and communication needs of agencies providing support to people with disabilities, especially developmental disabilities. It offers an easy and efficient alternative to the immense amount of paperwork that is done manually by the care providers. Within a few years Therap has extended its services to satisfied users in over 30 states in the United States, as well as Bangladesh and Nepal.
CDS is an online learning management system and curriculum used to develop, educate and build careers for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). CDS is currently being used in 36 states, Canada and Australia and has approximately 90,000 learners online at any one time of the day. Also embedded in CDS is the College of Frontline Supervision and Management used to train managers and those considering becoming supervisors. CDS is a collaborative work of the University of Minnesota and Elsevier/Mc Strategies. CDS is headquartered in Knoxville, TN, and its curriculum is developed by the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration.
"Our first conference was well received and proved to be very useful for both Therap and CDS clients," said Richard Robbins, Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of Therap. "Clients of both found it interesting to see how our two products can be used side-by-side in making their operations more efficient and effective. This conference should be even more interesting since the CDS and Therap have now developed an effective bridge between the two systems."
"This makes it convenient for clients who use both the CDS and Therap," said Bill Tapp, National Director and founder of the CDS. "It is a bridge between our systems that makes it easier and more user friendly for our clients and for Therap's clients to use both of us in tandem."
The conference is open to current users of Therap and CDS and also to non-users who want to learn more about both organizations. There will be break-out sessions for users of each company and sessions for those interested in using them side-by-side.
Early bird registration for the three-day event is available for $150, and that includes the conference, materials and all meals.
The Doubletree Hotel is a Hilton Brand Hotel and the room group rate is $92 per night. When calling for a reservation be sure to specify you will be with the Therap Group to get the conference room rate. You can reach the Doubletree at 615-895-5555.
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NYSACRA Describes College
of Direct Support
as ‘Mainstay’
for Use by 70 of Its 200 Member Agencies
The New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) is a grass-roots organization, born of necessity in the 1970s. During that era, New York State -- prompted by litigation, in part, and the vision and advocacy of service recipients, families, professionals, and public officials alike – embarked on a course of downsizing, and eventually closing, most of its state-operated institutions for individuals with developmental disabilities. New York, like most other states, is facing a direct support workforce crisis. Neither viewed nor compensated as professionals, the men and women who constitute this workforce, and upon whom so many rely, are leaving jobs that they love. And few are drawn to the vitally important work of direct support as they seek a life-time career. Just like its genesis, NYSACRA has embraced this crisis out of necessity and, beginning in the mid-1990’s, has made professionalizing the noble work of direct support a priority.
The College of Direct Support (CDS) became a mainstay in NYSACRA’s educational efforts beginning in the summer of 2006 when NYSACRA developed its Disability Studies Certificate program. The program, funded in part through grants from the State Departments of Health and Labor, offers DSPs a tuition-free opportunity to begin, resume, or continue college level studies relating to disability issues.
CDS is a key component in the three-part program which leads to a Disability Studies Certificate. In addition to participating in a preparatory "Bridge to College" class and taking 12-16 credits of course work at a local college within the New York State University system, learners must complete the on-line CDS, which augments the theoretical knowledge college courses offer.
Between 2006 and 2008, approximately 600 DSPs and frontline supervisors from 70 NYSACRA member agencies completed CDS through either the Disability Studies Certificate program or open enrollment session. An additional 500 learners are currently enrolled and taking on-line classes. You can read the full NYSACRA Partner Profile by clicking on this LINK.
The Partner Profiles also are archived on our website, www.collegeofdirectsupport.com.
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ECCO's Dave Bergeron Brings
Something Special to the Job
Dave Bergeron, left, and Chris enjoy the newspaper.
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In the fall of 2008 Dave Bergeron and the economic ills of the day met head-on. The 39-year-old self-described blue-collar worker lost his job at the largest employer in Madison, S.D. He and his wife have three children and the employment options in Madison, a town of 6,000, are few and far between
A friend suggested he consider visiting ECCO, Inc., an agency that serves 70 people . On Nov. 10, 2008 he had an interview with Vicki Kommes, ECCO's Staff Development Coordinator. Two weeks later he was hired as a Direct Support Professional (DSP).
"He has that certain something," Kommes says of Bergeron. "He was a keeper."
Today he is a DSP, supporting three men in a community based setting, and a supervisor, directing five DSPs in their roles. He wrote a Mission Statement for the men he supports and supervises, and the agency thought so much of his work that it incorporated it into their agency's Mission Statement.
Dave Bergeron is the subject of the second installment of "The DSP Chronicles" and you can read about him and his new career by
clicking on this LINK.
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CDS Administrators Forum ‘09
Attracts 50 People from 13 States
The College of Direct Support (CDS) team welcomed 50 people from 13 states to its Administrators Forum ’09 during the recent ANCOR conference in San Francisco. This was the fourth forum for administrators and others interested in the CDS.
The event was on Sunday, March 22, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.
"The forum was very successful and we shared a great deal with those who attended and they shared a great deal with us," said Bill Tapp, CDS National Director. "It was a productive give-and-take meeting."
The CDS team from the University of Minnesota was led by Dr. Amy Hewitt, Senior Research Associate/Training Director at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration. The CDS curriculum is developed and written by the team there.
Hewitt gave the group an update on both the new and revised content that we will be releasing in the near future. Dr. Derek Nord, Research Associate, discussed the evaluation process and what is ahead in that area.
The CDS team discussed current and new tools available on the Learning Management System and how best to integrate them at the state or agency level. "Our time spent on the Round Table discussions gave each of the participants the opportunity to ask questions on several topics," said Donna Kosak, CDS Program Administrator.
Annie Woodruff, CDS Support Team member, provided one-on-one hands-on sessions about the Learning Management System for representatives from Oregon, Texas, California, Utah, Kansas, and New Jersey. Discussions covered the best way to get started with using our Learning Management System, implementing the use of the CDS content, tracking non-CDS training, content linking in-house training documents, tracking renewals, general functionality questions, and adding additional non-CDS content to the platform, particularly professional development content.
Other University of Minnesota team members participating were Kristin Dean, Lori Sedlezky, and Mark Olson.
One of those attending was Kate Berrigan of EBI in California. She is the new CDS administrator at her agency and had this to say: "I'm definitely interested in looking at the different types of customization possibilities because I just got logged on as an administrator; and obviously one of the huge jobs is our collective effort here at EBI to decide what lessons we want to include. Getting introduced to the blogs and other ways in which you all at CDS are constantly providing new resources and responding to feedback was really exciting for me."
One of the most useful and interesting sessions was "Telling Our Story" presented by five people who have hands-on experience with the CDS and its technology, Tapp said.
The presenters were Carolyn Risley Hill, chief executive officer of Starkey, Inc. in Wichita, KS; Shelby Samaniego, CDS Administrator for InAlliance in Sacramento, CA; Michelle Saunders, CDS Administrator for ACT of St. Louis, MO., and Carol Britton and Colleen McLaughlin of the Boggs Center in New Jersey.
The 2010 Administrators Forum will return to New Orleans in conjunction with the ANCOR Management Practices Conference. Please plan to join us there in 2010!
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Autism & Autism Spectrum Disorders
Course Is Now Available for Learners
The College of Direct Support's latest course has been added to its curriculum lineup – "Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders." It has been released and is now available for all learners.
The course was authored by Jen Hall-Lande, a Research Assistant at the Research and Training Center at the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) at the University of Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education and her Master's degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She has more than 10 years of experience working with people with disabilities and their families.
Here is a description of the course:
This course is an introduction to the topic of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism was once thought to be a rare disability. However, the number of people with autism is increasing. It is important for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to be knowledgeable about autism. This course introduces information on the causes, characteristics, and symptoms of autism. It shares personal stories of people who have autism and his or her family members. This course will help DSPs understand how autism affects people in their daily lives. It will also help DSPs understand how co-occurring disorders may affect people with autism. Effective support strategies for working with people with autism also will be presented. DSPs will find a list of helpful resources and references about autism. This course also offers suggestions about other CDS courses that are helpful when supporting people with this disability.
You will notice that on three screens in the autism course reference is made to another CDS course called - "Everyone Can Communicate." This course has not yet been released but is anticipated for release within the next several weeks. We feel confident that CDS learners can complete the autism course and learn much from this course and then add to their learning by completing the ECC course in the very near future.
After completing this course you will be able to:
- Define Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and explain why it is important to know about them.
- Describe important historical and current views on ASD and the causes of these disorders.
- Recognize the defining characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders as viewed through a Triad of Challenges faced by people with these disorders.
- Implement effective intervention strategies related to each aspect of the Triad of Challenges.
- Adjust interventions to meet a variety of conditions and challenges that commonly co-occur with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
- Implement supports based on strengths common to people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
- Identify and describe the variety of services and supports for individuals with autism or Asperger's Syndrome across the life span.
- Provide supports to persons with these disorders and their family members that match their unique views and expectations.
Civil Rights and Advocacy
Course Will Be Out Soon
The next course to be released as part of the College of Direct Support (CDS) curriculum will be the course on Civil Rights and Advocacy. It will be available within the next several weeks.
Here is a brief description of the course:
"Having human and civil rights is one thing. Exercising those rights is something very different. All people, regardless of ability, can be empowered and energized when they exercise their rights. They are strengthened when they can stand up for what they want. This course was developed to help you understand your role in supporting individuals with disabilities as they stand up for their rights. You will learn what it takes to be an effective advocate for and with the people you support. You will learn about the challenges faced when individuals with disabilities try to exercise their rights. Finally, you will learn what strategies can be used to overcome these challenges."
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SPIN Ranks 31st, UCP Miami 95th
In Training Magazine's Top 125
They’ve done it again. And it is a big honor for both.
Training magazine’s annual list of the world’s Top 125 training companies and organizations again includes SPIN (Special People in the Northeast) and Miami Cerebral Palsy Residential Services, Inc. SPIN is ranked 31st and this is the seventh consecutive year the Philadelphia, PA., agency has been selected.
Miami Residential, part of United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida, made the list for the second straight year with a ranking of 95th in the world.
The magazine, using an exhaustive selection process, recognizes employer-sponsored training and development programs and the entrants are judged on elements such as corporate universities, evaluation procedures and internal best practices.
Both agencies -- in addition to being on the list – use the College of Direct Support (CDS) to train Direct Support Professionals and their supervisors.
The magazine’s list is impressive. Its top five best training companies were Pricewaterhouse, KMPG, SCC Soft Computer, EMC Corp., and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Microsoft was No. 10, Verizon 15th and Best Buy 33rd, to name a few.
SPIN and Miami Residential are the only non-profits to be recognized.
Accepting the award for UCP South Florida was Elizabeth Das, Staff Development Coordinator.
Debbie Geissel and Edna Crane of SPIN were in Atlanta on February 9th to accept the award for the agency. In 2002 SPIN was ranked 87th, and in 2004 it came in at 37th. It moved up the rankings to 28th in 2005 and last year was rated 20th.
SPIN, Inc. is a non-profit human service agency founded in 1970 by parents of children with disabilities whose first objective was the establishment of a summer camp. Since its founding 35 years ago, the agency has supported the development of a variety of innovative programs for children, adults and families throughout Philadelphia, PA. Today, SPIN, Inc. serves more than 2,000 people annually.
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TD Banknorth, MCS Offer 18
Slots for DSPs To Study CDS
For the third straight year, TD Banknorth is partnering with Moore Center Services in Manchester, N.H., to offer 18 statewide scholarships for Direct Support Staff to enroll in the College of Direct Support (CDS).
Each slot will be filled by a Direct Support Staff working for an Area Agency or Vendor Agency in New Hampshire. Managers and directors will identify Direct Support Professionals from their respective organizations who would benefit from the curriculum. In addition to funding the coursework, the grant provides a further incentive for Direct Support Staff to complete CDS on their own time: they will be eligible for a completion stipend of $400.
TD Northbank, which operates banks in the New England area and in 12 states, is committed to community involvement and distributes money from these grants through its TD Charitable Foundation. It offers non-profit training resource grants to community non-profits for selected employees to attend approved classes/courses to enhance their job performance.
The Direct Support Staff should complete applications with his/her immediate supervisor. Both staff and supervisor must sign and submit the application to Scott Trudo at Moore Center Services no later than May 15, 2009. After this date no more applications will be accepted. If you prefer to file this application electronically, please refer to one of the following links: www.moorecenter.org/cds or www.nhdsp.org.
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The Admin Corner
The College of Direct Support (CDS) and MC Strategies will present two webinars for CDS administrators, one this month and another in June.
Peggy Simpson and Judi Rutherford of MC Strategies will be hosting a Round Table Webinar for all Learning Management System users (CDS and others) on April 16 at 2 p.m. (EST). This webinar will be discussing a new tool, Knowledge Manager, that is being added to the LMS. Administrators will be receiving information by email on how to register and join the webinar.
Also, there is a Round Table Webinar for CDS users only on June 25, 2009, at 2 p.m. (EST). We will be publishing details about this in the June newsletter and emails will be sent with additional information.
If you have questions, please contact Donna Kosak at 1.877.353.2767 (toll free) or via email at donna@collegeofdirectsupport.com
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Mission Statement: The College of Direct Support is a learning gateway for
contemporary best practices for Direct Support Professionals. By incorporating
web-based learning, backed by nationally recognized curricula, the CDS is
designed to promote a profession of direct support.
Tom King is the editor of Connections@CDS and he welcomes your comments on the newsletter as well as suggestions you have for articles and content.
You can email him at tking@collegeofdirectsupport.com or call him (toll free) at 1.877.353.2767.
111 Center Park Drive, Suite 175 | Knoxville, TN 37922
tel :: 877-353-2767 (toll-free) | fax :: 865-531-4708
www.collegeofdirectsupport.com
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