Transition Toolkit Lesson Plans: Workshop Planning Tips for Community-Based

Organizations

[This document has been adapted from the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers’ “Tips for Planning a Successful Youth Initiative” and the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center’s “Youth Leadership/Organizing Curriculum”]

This “how-to” guide provides information and resources for community based organizations (CBOs) interested in pulling together youth workshops to implement the Transition Toolkit Lesson Plans and activities for youth with disabilities. This information has been developed to assist you in creating youth-friendly, accessible workshops that help to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Overview of Youth Transition Toolkit Workshops

Who: Young adults with disabilities between the ages of 12 and 29

What: Youth Transition Toolkit Workshops consisting of activities covering the following topics: Education, Independent Living, Employment, Finances, Healthcare, and Social/Recreation

Where: Any community-based organization currently working with (or interested in working with) youth with disabilities. This needs to be an accessible venue (see information below under “Accessibility and Inclusion Tips”).

When: In order to accommodate a broad age-range of youth (including those who are still in school), workshops should be held on weeknights after school hours or on weekend mornings or afternoons. The length of the workshop will depend on how many activities you would like to complete for each lesson plan topic (you may also hold more than one workshop on the same topic if you would like to complete all activities covered in the lesson plan).

Size: Anywhere between 5 and 20 youth

How: We recommend having at least 2 Facilitators for the sessions: one adult (CBO staff) and one youth with a disability (for more information on locating youth with disabilities who may be interested in co-facilitation, see below under “Nothing About Youth, Without Youth”). In addition to leading activities, the facilitators will also be responsible for assisting with recruitment and ongoing organizing (see below under “Youth Recruitment” and “Tips for Success”).

The Transition Toolkit Lesson Plans were developed as a series covering six topics (Education, Independent Living, Employment, Finances, Healthcare, and Social/Recreation). The lesson plan design encourages facilitators to customize the training according to your unique needs. Any of the sessions may be enhanced by adding guest speakers (including individuals with disabilities and service providers from various agencies and organizations), and trips out into the community. For a comprehensive overview on the lesson plans, please see the “Lesson Plan Overview” document on the Transition Toolkit Lesson Plans website (http://www.tknlyouth.org/lesson_plans/lesson_plans.html).

Youth Recruitment

When recruiting youth with disabilities, it is important to market the opportunity to a wide range of youth, across the full spectrum of disability diversity. The inclusion of youth with both visible and non-apparent disabilities is critical to creating a vibrant community initiative. This diversity may include youth with learning disabilities, mental health disabilities, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, mobility disabilities, students who are blind or have low vision, students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students with chronic illness, and those from different ethnic, socio-economic, and academic backgrounds. Try to mirror the diversity of the disability community!

There are plenty of youth out there who will jump at these opportunities to be a part of your workshops, you just have to know how to reach them! These tips outline key suggestions for recruiting youth with disabilities and keeping them engaged:

Nothing About Youth, Without Youth!

Develop your recruitment plan in collaboration with youth! To be successful in engaging any community, you must make your initiative attractive and culturally relevant to the community you wish to engage. Use the disability community rallying call “nothing about us without us” to guide your planning of every step of your workshop development. Engaging at least one youth with a disability to collaborate with on planning and implementation of the workshops is key to your success.

Youth with disabilities should be given significant and collaborative roles, including assisting with co-facilitation of your workshops. Youth disabilities are your subject matter experts, your community engagement experts, and your design and marketing experts! To fully benefit from the expertise of youth with disabilities in the planning and implementation of the initiative, prepare to hold planning meetings that do not conflict with school schedules, and that address the transportation needs of youth, ensure agendas are developed with the input of youth, and that meetings include youth reporting on activities.

Identifying youth with disabilities as your core advisors will be a critical first task. You can get assistance from the Youth Advocate at Youth Organizing! Disabled & Proud (YO!) by calling (866) 296-9753 voice or www.yodisabledproud.org. The Youth Advocate can assist you in identifying YO!Corps Volunteers stationed within Independent Living Centers, as well as youth in your area that have attended the Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities.

Recruitment Materials

A sample recruitment flyer is included on the “Transition Toolkit Lesson Plans” homepage. You can adapt this to apply to when/where your workshops will be held, and whom youth should contact for more information or to request accommodations. It is also a good idea to let any of your “youth advisors” put their own spin on the look of the flyer. Chances are, you’ll have a much more attractive and “youthified” flyer.

Outreach Mechanisms

Youth to Youth: First and foremost, a good outreach mechanism is to have your youth advisors send out the information about the workshops to their channels – chances are they have a lot of friends who would be interested in coming. Whether it is in person, by phone, text or social media, the most successful recruitment is achieved by youth engaging youth. In addition, many of the outreach mechanisms described below are MUCH easier to do with youth involved, whether it’s your youth advisors or the participants who are involved in your initial workshops.

Partner with Organizations and Schools: The list of organizations and agencies below can be useful ways to get in contact with youth with disabilities in your local area. If you need advice on how to get in contact with these programs in your area, contact the Youth Transition Toolkit Program Manager (contact information is found on the website).

Family Empowerment Centers Parent Training Information Centers Centers for Independent Living Transition Partnership Programs Workability I-IV Programs Disabled Student Services Programs within Community Colleges and

Universities Regional Center Department of Rehabilitation (often there is a counselor designated to

work with youth) Foster Youth Independent Living Programs Disability-specific organizations (United Cerebral Palsy, Muscular

Dystrophy Association, blind organizations, Deaf organizations, etc.) Special Education Local Plan Area Committee Parent Teacher Association Local High Schools and Middle Schools Local hospitals and clinics Churches, mosques, and temples Social service providers Parks and recreation departments (especially if they have an

adaptive sports and recreation program) Service organizations (Rotary, etc.)

Whenever possible, send your information to staff members who work directly with youth. When recruiting through schools, don't limit your materials to the principal, include counselors, teachers, and coordinators of specific programs like the Transition Partnership Program. While it might be tempting to focus on completely on Special Education teachers, keep in mind that many youth with disabilities are not included in Special Education programs.

Take Nominations: One way to increase the number of youth interested in the workshops, as well as the involvement of supportive adults, is by asking adults to nominate youth with disabilities. This process pulls in students as well as the organizations with which they are affiliated. Adult nominators often spot students who would be good participants, but who might not necessarily come on their own. In your adult nomination materials, make sure to discuss what qualities you seek in youth participants including their interests, age, skills or knowledge. Remember to mention the desire for diversity in disability, race, income, and academic performance.

Use Social Media: Make sure you get the word out online using social media. Create a Facebook page for the Transition Toolkit workshops where you can post updates and spread the message around. Any update you make appears in the News Feeds of your fans ensuring that your attendees do not miss out of on updates. A Facebook fan page for the workshops generates visibility, when people “Like” the updates and then “Share” it with their friends.

Use Posters: Youth with disabilities can plan a poster making party to come up with catchy slogans, cool art and colorful graphics. Youth and educators can hang posters throughout school campuses for greater visibility.

School Tabling: Some schools allow youth to “table” during lunch in the cafeteria, others have Student Fairs and events at which you can set up a table to promote the workshops by giving out information and encouraging youth to sign-up for more information. It is critical that at any tabling event that all materials are available in accessible formats. A tabling hint – having candy in a basket to give away will encourage youth to come to the table.

Pitch a Story: School Newspapers are a great way to the word out! Pitch a story to a student reporter about the initiative or invite them to “cover” an initiative event. Student reporters are often looking for stories that are meaningful to the student body. Make sure that you have youth with disabilities available to talk to the reporter, and if they attend an event make people available for photos and interviews. Youth may also want to write a “letter to the editor” of the school newspaper describing the importance of the initiative. Finally, you may want to include an advertisement or notice in the in the school newspaper about the initiative.

Be Persistent: Do not be discouraged if you don't immediately get a flood of youth interested in attending your workshops. It takes time to develop a real following for any new effort. Expect that you will follow up your recruitment announcements with phone calls to individuals to remind them get involved, to nominate someone, to “like and Share” the initiative on Facebook, to simply ask their friends, and to keep spreading the word. Make sure that you a prepared to send outreach materials electronically, and in accessible formats so they can be forwarded far and wide.

Tips for Success

Choosing a VenueWhen choosing a venue for an event that is friendly to youth with disabilities, consider the world in which youth travel. Youth with disabilities should feel comfortable and able to fully participate.

The basic points to consider:

Is the venue close to public transportation?

Go to where the youth go, choose a venue that youth use on a regular basis, it may be inconvenient or uncomfortable for adults...but just do it!

Is the location in an area that youth with disabilities can get to and from easily?

Use Youth Friendly and Accessible Language

This information was developed by the Kids As Self Advocates http://fvkasa.org. The use of inaccessible language is a barrier that often stops young people from being involved in leadership. Using youth friendly/accessible language means that all people, including young people and people with disabilities, understand the information that is being shared.

Here are some points to consider:

Use clear language – avoiding or explaining conceptual words [words that include a lot of ideas in one word]. This can be done by explaining exactly what the word means, like was done for the word conceptual in the statement above, or by explaining what you mean a different way.

Make sure to explain acronyms [an acronym are letters that stand for words. For example, KASA is an acronym for Kids As Self Advocates].

Use examples to explain complex ideas and concepts

Steer clear of jargon. Jargon is words that are used specifically in your area of work or community.

What Youth Friendly/Accessible Language Does NOT Mean: That a presenter needs to use slang. That a presenter will appear to not be professional. That a presenter is going to be seen as not knowing what they are talking about or that they are not smart.

o Often people respond in a really positive way to youth friendly/accessible language. It makes everyone more comfortable, and people can relax and really be open to learning.

Focus on sharing their information in as many different ways as possible. If a presenter is going to use interactive activities, [in which the group is involved in the presentation], then make sure there are at least a couple of ways to respond.

o For example: if asking a large group to answer a question by raising their hand, also say “or by clapping or giving a shout out.”

o If asking people to do work in small groups, make sure the questions are clear, written down and read aloud. Ask the small groups to try and get information from everyone who wants to share.

Information in a presentation should be given in as many different ways as possible. Some suggestions are, visually [where people can read along], verbally [reading or sharing information aloud], and time to give people a chance to share their own knowledge/experience.

Ask a young person to review materials, or offer to go through the materials with to them to make sure the materials are clear and that they think others will also understand.

Food

It should be no surprise that when we are talking about reaching out to young people, food is important element! It is always a good idea to offer food, and choose food of interest to youth. Even if it is a very basic snack (i.e. chips and juice), youth always appreciate food! To ensure that the refreshments or meals are being provided in an accessible way, consider:

Where beverages are being served, bendable straws and lightweight cups should be made available within easy reach of individuals in wheelchairs or scooters.

Provide non-sugar (dietary) beverages, juices and water for people with dietary concerns such as diabetes.

Self-serve meals or buffets may present obstacles for some people who are blind or people with a physical disability. Ensure that someone is available in order to assist those who need help getting food.

Check to make sure that alternatives to pastries and cookies, such as fruits or vegetables, are available for people with dietary concerns. Consider including gluten free and nut free options as well.

Provide an opportunity for participants to indicate their dietary needs on any registration form or invitation to an event where meals or snacks are being served.

Transportation

Youth with disabilities are often dependent on transportation systems that are a patch-work quilt made up of public school buses, public transit, para-transit, parental transit and neighborhood or activity based carpools. Some things to consider when planning workshops:

Ensure that meeting and event start and end times are reasonable for individuals dependent on public transit and the transportation schedules of others. For example how often and how late does the service run, and is it available during weekends?

Some youth with disabilities will arrive late due to no fault of their own.

Some youth with disabilities will need to leave early due to no fault of their own.

Plan to have staff stay as long as it takes for every youth to be picked up after the workshop is finished.

Plan to provide directions, including bus routes and train stations on materials promoting the workshops. Include an option to call for assistance with transportation options.

Expect that some youth with disabilities may not be familiar with public transit systems that they do not use therefore they may need to call for assistance. Have a designated staff person prepared to assist them. Some resources: http://fvkasa.org/resources/files/transportation-TravelTS.php

http://fvkasa.org/resources/files/Transportation-%20ride%20bus.%2009.phphttp://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/183/over7.html

If you provide any type of transportation for participants (example, shuttle to and from a transit hub) it must be wheelchair accessible.

Provide Reminders!

A good way to assure that participants show up is to provide reminders to shortly before the day of the workshop – this is an especially important practice when you’re workshops are just starting up, or if you meet less frequently (i.e. once per month). Use the methods of communication youth use most frequently: often this involves phone calls, facebook messages or wall posts, and texts! Providing these reminders can also be a good activity for your youth advisor or co-facilitator to assist with.

Accessibility and Inclusion Tips

In order for your workshops to be inclusive, you must consider from the beginning how you will meet the physical and communication access needs of youth with a diversity of disabilities.

The goal should be to ensure that youth with disabilities of all types feel welcomed and able to fully participate in the event. This checklist is intended as a starting point in planning an accessible event, which likely requires more than ramps and wheelchair washrooms. The key is to consider every aspect of the event and what barriers a person with a disability – whether it be physical, mobility, hearing, sight, learning, mental health, cognitive or chronic illness – might face, and how you can eliminate or minimize those barriers to ensure all participants feel welcomed.

Event Information

Welcoming youth with disabilities begins with the event information by informing participants how to request a disability-related accommodation. The process for requesting an accommodation will depend upon the nature of the event. Outreach materials should include the following:

Who the request should be made to (a contact person in your office)

How a person can request an accommodation (phone number and e-mail address)

Deadline for when the request should be made (usually at least one week in advance of the event)

Promote a scent-free practice which will increase the comfort level of participants with chemical sensitivities

Below is an example of an accommodation request for your event announcement and information:

Disability Accommodations and Services: If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information, please contact ____________ (name or office), at ph: _________, tty:___________ or e-mail ____________. Requests should be made by _____________(date, at least one week in advance of the event).

In consideration of attendees whose health is affected by multiple chemical sensitivities, please do not wear perfumes or fragrances to this event.

Accommodation Hints: Expect to have accommodation requests, make sure you have materials in plain text format so you can easily provide them electronically and make large print versions. Know where to get Assistive Listening Devices and make sure you know how to use them, and have tested them prior to the event. In addition, your youth advisors won’t be registering for the workshops, so make sure you are aware of accommodations they may require.

Physical Access

Ideally, all venues would be appropriately accessible for everyone to be able to use. However, reality proves that this is not necessarily the case. For smaller venues in less populated areas, creativity may be required to obtain an adequate level of accessibility.

The basic points to consider:

Can individuals using wheelchairs and other mobility devices get into the building?

Is wheelchair accessible parking available near the wheelchair entrance?

Is there a wheelchair accessible bathroom?

Are hallways and doorways wide enough (a minimum of 36" or 91.5cm) for people using wheelchairs to navigate?

Are there visual fire alarms? If not, inquire about the facility’s evacuation plan or create your own.

If the event will be held on an upper floor, is there an elevator large enough for a wheelchair or scooter?

Signage

Navigating an unfamiliar building or campus for the first time can be disorienting and even frustrating. Clear, legible and high contrast signage assists in pointing people in the right direction.

Ensure that the signs for the street address or building name are clearly visible from the street.

If the wheelchair accessible entrance is not the main entrance, place a sign at the main entrance pointing to the wheelchair entrance.

Post clear and easy-to-read signs showing location of the workshop room, as well as the location of accessible bathrooms, elevators, etc.

Accessible Room Setup

Equally important as the building accessibility is the room setup. Some points to keep in mind:

Are all meeting rooms wheelchair accessible?

Is there room for wheelchairs, scooters and service dogs?

When a room does not have fixed seats, remove chairs so that wheelchair locations are integrated with other seating areas. (i.e., chairs removed should be interspersed – front, middle, back, sides of room, etc).

If a guest speaker uses a wheelchair or other mobility device, ensure there is access to the front of the room.

Check to see that the meeting room has appropriate requirements (drapes, blinds, etc.) to provide reduction of light or glare from windows.

Event Materials and Content

Arriving comfortably in the room is only part of the accessibility needed for the full inclusion of youth with disabilities. The event content also needs to be accessible. This is where having accommodation requests from participants beforehand assists in preparing materials and presenters.

Some people with visual impairments and other kinds of disabilities require the size of type print to be enlarged. The following are guidelines for creating large-print content:

o Use Arial or other plain, sans serif fonts (fancy free)

o Font size should be at least 14 point for all materials

o Large-print fonts range from 16-20 point, however you should ask for the point size preference for anyone requesting large print as an accommodation

o Material should be printed in black ink on white paper

o Print materials on non-glossy paper to avoid glare

o To learn more about creating accessible word documents go to:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/ten-tips-for-accessible- documents-HA010337552.aspxhttps://sctc.ims.mnscu.edu/shared/FacultyTutorials/TutorialVideos/MakingYourWordDocumentsAccessible.pdf

Facilitators and guest speakers should verbally describe contents of videos, or any written materials, including PowerPoint slides and whiteboard notes.

During video and slide presentations, offer to have someone sit beside an individual with visual impairment to describe the scene, people and action as it happens without interfering with already existing narrative.

Staff TrainingAn enlightened and helpful staff can be invaluable during the event. Ensure the staff has received disability etiquette training and is prepared to creatively solve problems. They may be asked for the nearest wheelchair repair shop or the nearest veterinary clinic (for service animals). They may be asked where the nearest café or shopping area is located so there is a comfortable place for their personal attendant to hang out, or where the closest free wifi is. They may be asked for to provide a description and walking orientation to the meeting space. Or, they may be asked for a water bowl for an assistance dog or where dogs can be taken to relieve themselves.

Disability Etiquette Basics:

When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter.

When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. For those who cannot shake hands, touch the person on the shoulder or arm to welcome and acknowledge their presence.

When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you.

If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.

Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending that same familiarity to all others present.

Leaning or hanging on a person's wheelchair is similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is generally considered annoying.

Listen attentively when you're talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for the person. Don’t pretend you understand what they have said if you do not.

When speaking with a person in a wheelchair, where possible find a seat so you can share eye level conversation.

To get the attention of a person who is hearing impaired, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips.

Relax. Don't be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions, such as, "See you later," or "Did you hear about this" that seem to relate to the person's disability. Anyone can make mistakes. Offer an apology if you forget some courtesy. Keep a sense of humor and a willingness to communicate.