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MCBDDS Self-Advocacy Group members train Public Health staff about developmental disabilities
Members of MCBDDS’s Voices Matter Self-Advocacy Group and Communications Department
recently conducted training sessions to help Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County staff
improve service outcomes for people with developmental disabilities (DD).
Public Health approached MCBDDS in March with a request for two 1.5 hour cultural sensitivity trainings specific to developmental disabilities. Self-Advocacy Group co-advisor Janice Saddler Rice then worked with self advocates Torry Brown and Richard Conley to develop and present these training workshops to 40 Public Health employees. Staff gained a greater understanding of what developmental disabilities are, and how they affect the day-to-day functioning of people who have them. They also learned about the challenges and barriers that people with DD face, and worked with the presenters to identify where their services overlap with the needs of the DD community. Presenters then offered recommendations as to how Public Health could work with people with developmental disabilities in a way that would be sensitive to those needs.
The presentations were very well received, and evaluations from participants revealed an appreciation for the sessions AND consistently excellent ratings across the board for content and presenters. Way to go, self-advocacy team!