Out-of-school-time programs provide the ideal opportunity for youth with disabilities to connect with their non-disabled peers and experience a sense of belonging they don’t always get. To make this a successful experience, sometimes youth with disabilities need accommodations. In this section of the course, we will share easy-to-use tips and tools that represent the best practices in disability inclusion.
Responding to concerning behavior can be one of the toughest parts of your job. Responding in the moment is just one piece of the puzzle. Reflecting on your views about behavior helps you to decide if your expectations align with youth development and if you recognize the underlying factors that impact youth behavior. In this section of the course, you will engage in a scenario to better understand your views about behavior and see supportive responses in action.
Imagine walking into your favorite place. Hopefully, that place brings you a sense of comfort and belonging. A critical part of successful disability inclusion is making your program have that same sense of comfort and belonging for all. A supportive environment includes your physical, sensory, and social-emotional environment. In this section of the course, you will watch a video about the impact your environment has on disability inclusion.
There are some basics about disability inclusion that every youth development professional should be familiar with: how the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, applies to you and how to talk respectfully about disability. These videos will give you an overview of the ADA and give you tips about using socially responsible language. Check out the additional resources for more videos and articles.
Over time, cultural norms and ideas about disability, diversity, and inclusion have changed. As more organizations across sectors focus on “Diversity and Equity”, disability is sometimes left out of the conversation about diversity. KIT’s mission is to meaningfully include children and youth with disabilities, and our webinar focus today is to share current, relevant information regarding the intersectionality of disability and diversity. This webinar will focus on strategies to support tweens and teens in inclusive programs.
Attitudes, beliefs, policies and resources influence how inclusion is viewed and put into practice in child and youth programs. This webinar will explore myths of inclusion that sometimes interfere with creating welcoming and inclusive environments for all children.