Consumer Advisory Committee Orientation Curriculum

Instructor’s Manual

1

Consumer Advisory Orientation Curriculum

Instructor’s Manual

Acknowledgements

This orientation curriculum would not have been possible without the financial and programmatic support of the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD).The agency’s commitment to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their family members in the work of the University Centers for Excellence for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) was the genesis for this project. I want to especially thank AIDD staff Jennifer Johnson and Kathy Cargill-Willis for their hard work on the project.

During my year as the Policy Fellow at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), my work on this project allowed me to connect with individuals throughout the UCEDD network. I want to thank George Jesien, the Executive Director of AUCD, for his suggestions and gracious support on this project.

I would like to give particular acknowledgement to the time, support and expertise of Carl Calkins (Director, Institute for Human Development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and Harold Kleinert (Director, Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky). I would also like to individually thank Cathy Haarstad (Consumer & Cultural Affairs Coordinator, North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University) whose visuals enhance the concepts in the slides and the Delaware UCEDD Director, Michael Gamel-McCormick, Tracy Mann, and the members of the CAC for inviting me to share the Orientation Curriculum with you.

I would also like to thank the following individuals and the members of AUCD’s Council on Community Advocacy (COCA) who graciously offered insight into their experience serving on a CAC. Their input made this final product complete:

1

Consumer Advisory Orientation Curriculum

Instructor’s Manual

Clare Collins (ME)

Kendall Corbett (WY)

Fran Goldfarb (CA)

Sharon Hauss (IN)

Michael Gamel-McCormick(DE)

Gina Harris (AL)

Jean Johnson (HI)

Jennifer Jones (AK)

G. Denise Lance (KS)

Tracy Mann (DE)

Raetta McCall (DE)

Elizabeth Nolan (DE)

Gordon Richins (UT)

Sarah Rule (UT)

Norb Ryan (KY)

Bethany Stark (CA)

Meg Steinman (KY)

Mary Schuh (NH)

Mark A. Smith (NE)

Jesse Wechsler (CA)

Linda A. Wallace (CT)

Marion West (NH)

Susan Yuan (VT)

1

Consumer Advisory Orientation Curriculum

Instructor’s Manual

Finally, I want to say a very special thank you to Maggie Nygren, AUCD’s Director of Technical Assistance. Her willingness to brainstorm and provide feedback throughout the development of the curriculum made both the work on the project and my year as AUCD’s Policy Fellow an exceptional learning experience.

1

Consumer Advisory Orientation Curriculum

Instructor’s Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Consumer Advisory Committee Orientation Curriculum

Module I: The Basics: UCEDDs and the Consumer Advisory Committee

  • The DD Act
  • DD Act Programs
  • The State DD Network
  • The Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC)

Module II: How are UCEDDs Connected?

  • Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)
  • Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
  • AUCD’s Council on Community Advocacy (COCA)

Module III: Orientation to the UCEDD

  • Orientation to the UCEDD
  • Core Functions
  • Areas of Emphasis
  • The 5-Year Plan
  • Communication with the CAC

Module IV: The Advocacy Continuum Exercise

  • Advocacy Continuum Exercise

Module V: CAC Development Tools

  • Organizational tools for the CAC
  • Recruitment and Retention Strategies
  • Welcoming New CAC Members

Appendices: Resources and Further Reading

  1. The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000
  2. Alphabet Soup for Consumer Advisory Committees
  3. The Advocacy Continuum
  4. The Advocacy Continuum Worksheet
  5. Sample By-Laws
  6. Stevens, J. & Ibanez, B. (2004). Beyond Tokenism: Partnering with People with Diverse Abilities on Consumer Advisory Boards Best Practice Guide, Center for Development and Disability, University of New Mexico.
  7. Caldwell, J, Hauss, S., Richins, G., Stark, B. (2006, March). Consumer advisory committees: Recommendations for meaningful participation of individuals with disabilities and families. Silver Spring, MD: Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
  8. Haarstad, C. (2005). Future Think,North DakotaCenter for Persons with Disabilities, MinotStateUniversity.
  9. Acknowledgement of the Delaware UCEDD CAC
  10. The Council on Community Advocacy (COCA)’s webpage:

Introduction to the

Consumer Advisory Committee Orientation Curriculum

Introduction:

This curriculum was developed by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) under a technical assistance contract with the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD). The purpose of this curriculum is to provide University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs)with resources that will assist in the orientation of members of their Consumer Advisory Committees (CACs).

Goals:

The following are the goals of this curriculum. After completing all modules of the curriculum, participants will:

  1. Be introduced to the DD Act, the DD Network, and the UCEDD program,
  2. Have a better understanding of their role and responsibilities as a UCEDD CAC member, and
  3. Gain the tools they need to advise the UCEDD as a UCEDD CAC member.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the role and functions of the UCEDD in their state
  • Describe their role and responsibilities as a CAC member
  • Understand the CAC’s part in developing a 5 Year Plan for a UCEDD
  • Understand the national context of the UCEDD

Use of acronyms in this manual:

The four most commonly used acronyms in this curriculum are:

  • The Developmental Disabilities Act (DD Act)
  • The Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)
  • University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
  • Consumer Advisory Committees (CAC)

Additional acronyms appear throughout this curriculum. A full list of acronyms can be found in the appendix inAlphabet Soup for Consumer Advisory Committees. Module V addresses dealing with acronyms for individuals new to the CAC.

Use of the word Consumer:

There is much discussion about the use of the word consumer. The term is used in this curriculum because the DD Act uses the phrase “Consumer Advisory Committee.” We have chosen to use this term to remain consistent with the law; however, you may choose to substitute the term when using the curriculum.

Target audience:

This curriculum is intended to be used with potential, new,or existing CAC member as a way to introduce them to their role in advising the UCEDD.The curriculum is intended to be used with participants with varying levels of knowledge in the work of a UCEDD or CAC.

Organization of curriculum:

The curriculum consists of five modules that cover important topics for CAC members, including an introduction to the DD Act, the UCEDD program, the concept of the DD Network, development of the 5-Year Plan, and the role and responsibilities of CAC members.

Each*of the moduleshas three components:

  1. PowerPoint slides
  2. Anaccompanyingchapter in the Instructor’s Manual
  3. A Criterion Check evaluation tool

*Module V does not have a criterion check as it is intended to be a discussion, rather than an instruction, module.

Please refer to the Table of Contents to see the list of topics covered in each module.

How to use this curriculum:

The curriculum is meant for use by a CAC leader and/or UCEDD staff/Director.

Instructors are encouraged to determine what topics or modules are needed to address the training needs of the CAC and to modify them to meet their needs. The flexibility in the materials exists in an attempt to address the wide variety of UCEDDs and the training needs of their CAC members.

The five modules are designed to be presented in sequential order; however, instructors may choose to present some modules independently of others depending on the training need.

The PowerPoint slides are the primary instructional support. The PowerPoint slides were developed to be accessible to multiple audiences; however, you may need to make accommodations or adaptations depending on the needs of your participants.

The Instructor’s Manualcontains talking points that provide additional information about the topics covered in the corresponding power point slides. The talking points are organized by slide number so the instructor can easily follow along with the presentation.

A full orientation (allmodules are presented) is estimated to take 1-2 daysof training. Each chapter of the Instructor’s Manualprovides an estimated amount of time to cover the material.

Criterion Checks andEvaluations:

Use of theCriterion Checkis a way to make sure participants have learned the basic content and met the learning objectives stated at the beginning of each chapter in the Instructor’s Manual. The Criterion Check gives both the instructor and participant a chance to go over what might have been unclear or over-looked. Instructors are encouraged to develop their ownindividualized module and instructor evaluations.

Accommodations:

Be aware of the individual learning needs of participants before use of the curriculum. Find out what the accessibility needs are for each participant (format of materials, etc). For optimal accessibility, this manual is available in Microsoft Word and plain text and the associated slides are posted in both PowerPoint and a plain text. The plain text versions can be used by screen readers and Brailing machines, as well as enlarged to 18 pt font for large print.

1