The Connecticut Developmental Disabilities Network (DDN) was established to provide leadership for implementation of the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance
and Bill of Rights Act.
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People with disabilities and their families are
at the heart of how we plan, complete,
and evaluate our activities.
We also rely on a broad range of professionals, organizations and agencies
to bring about community-wide change.
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Community Integrated Personal Assistance Services and Support (CPASS)
Overview
The goal of this project, which is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Connecticut Department of Social Services, is to develop an infrastructure to promote the effective recruitment and retention of personal assistants. This project will help people with disabilities in Connecticut gain the knowledge, access, and resources necessary to hire and manage personal assistants. In addition, this project will create a curriculum and a support system for employers of personal assistants in Connecticut.
Major Activities
- We are partnering with the Connecticut Department of Social Services to increase the number of available personal assistants in the state. As of February 2007, 1,862 individuals interested in becoming personal assistants have registered on the recruitment website www.Rewardingwork.org. Efforts are currently being made to encourage employers looking for staff to explore this website as a recruitment tool.
- The center has developed a comprehensive curriculum for employers of personal assistants covering many topics related to recruitment and retention. A training program has also been created for experienced employers to teach the curriculum to other less experienced employers. We are researching the feasibility and efficacy of the employer curriculum. The study uses a control intervention design, which is a crucial component in producing evidence-based practice guidelines.
- Project staff are about to conduct train-the-trainer sessions with self-advocates from the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation. These self-advocates will then train other individuals with intellectual disabilities and families to hire and manage their own personal assistants. All components of the trainings are being evaluated, including interviews with trainees to assess their experiences with recruitment and retention of personal assistants.
- We have developed a series of fact sheets for personal assistants to inform them about the various aspects of the job. The fact sheets cover a wide spectrum of topics from preparing for an emergency to communication between an employer and their employees.
Publications
Click Here to view publications for this project.
Early Childhood initiatives at the UCEDD focus on evidenced based practices and learning outcomes. We provide training and technical assistance to early interventionists, teachers, therapists, service coordinators, policy makers and families on a variety of areas including social competence, early literacy, early childhood outcomes, service coordination practices, and evidenced based intervention practices.
School Age initiatives at the UCEDD focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities in typical school and community life. We provide training and technical assistance to families, school personnel and community members in a variety of areas including the special education process, inclusive education, adapted curriculum, assistive technology, disability awareness and person-centered planning.
Adult initiatives at the UCEDD focus on including people with disabilities in their communities. We provide training and technical assistance to individuals with disabilities, state agencies, service providers and other community members in a variety of areas including the hiring of personal assistants, accessible transportation, emergency preparedness and response, and health care.