The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

Kathleen Platzman, Ph.D.

Save the Dates!

3^rd Annual Maine DIR^®/Floortime™
Summer Workshop

July 21-23, 2010
University of Maine – Orono
Wells Conference Center

Dave Nelson, M.S., L.P.C.

Project Showcase

CCIDS Offers Workshop Series to Support Volunteer Opportunities for Maine Citizens with Disabilities

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies is offering a three-part series of statewide workshops to encourage and support the participation of Maine citizens with disabilities in national service and volunteering. The free workshops are being coordinated by Project Director, Janet May, as part of the Center’s National Service Inclusion Project funded grant, Project Ready to ServeMaine. The Maine Commission for Community Service, Alpha One: Maine’s Center for Independent Living, and Speaking Up for Us of Maine are also partners on the project.

The first workshop, “What Can National Service/Volunteering Do For Me?” provides information about community-based volunteering and other opportunities in National Service Programs such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and VISTA. Participants also receive information about Maine’s Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program (WIPA) to help current and future volunteers make informed decisions about their earnings and state and federal benefits.

Photo caption: Chris Coughlin and Rose Davis review materials from the Project Ready to ServeMaine workshop on volunteering at Alpha One in Bangor, Maine.
Photo credit: Sandra Horne

Two additional workshops are planned for the fall: the second workshop will provide information from the perspective of current National Service members, "A Day in My Life - What Do National Service Members Do?”; and the third workshop will cover the application process, "Getting Involved - How to Become a National Service Member or Volunteer." Each of the three workshops will be videotaped and offered online.

Workshop Spotlight

Quality Employment Supports for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This is a 2-day advanced training based on the curriculum, Quality Employment Practices for Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), developed by Alan Kurtz and Janine Collins at the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies. The training combines information from a wide variety of sources about best practices in customized employment supports with up-to-date knowledge about the diverse support needs of individuals across the autism spectrum. Participants in these highly interactive workshops will have frequent opportunities to discuss issues they may face. The curriculum contains many real-life examples. Throughout the workshops, the voices and perspectives of individuals with ASD are emphasized.

The training is divided into seven units:

1. Introduction to Quality Employment Practices for Individuals with ASD

2. Sensory Processing Differences

3. Structure, Routine, and Predictability

4. Movement Differences and Motor Planning

5. Communication and ASD in the Workplace

6. Social Interaction and ASD in the Workplace

7. Assessment and Job Development

This 2-day training is being offered twice in the Fall:

Saco, Maine: Holiday Inn Express Thurs-Fri, October 29-30, 2009

Orono, Maine: Wells Conference Center Thurs-Fri, December 3-4, 2009

Trainers and Co-Authors of the Curriculum

Alan Kurtz, M.Ed., is a Research Associate at the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Hampshire where he is pursuing his doctorate in Education with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Janine M. Collins, MTS, MSW, is a Research Associate at the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and works on a number of projects related to best practices and improving service delivery.

Please follow this link for additional information and to register for this training.

News & Events

• Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Pays Tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 1921-2009.

• President Obama Commemorates 19th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Signing of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

• MaineDOT Publishes Transit Toolkit (April 2009)

Phone (V/TTY)
207/581-1084 or 800/203-6957
Fax
207/581-1231

Address
5717 Corbett Hall, Rm 114
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5717

e-mail ccidsmail@umit.maine.edu