Option #5 - Customized Topic/Specialty Combinations

Feel free to suggest a variation on the conference topic or a way to adapt the presentation that will better address the needs of your group. We can complete one or two day workshops that include the right combination of topics for your organization. Additional workshop content topics can include:

Training on common diagnoses and disabilities for staff members—can include disability labs
Overall screening of assistance dog applicants
Placement considerations and modifications for assistance dog recipients with both physical and cognitive impairment
Community partnerships with therapists and human service organizations
Placement of social therapy dogs with community professionals
Many other topics are possible, please discuss with staff, board members and even clients
It is also possible to have a staff training day and then offer a workshop open to the public on day two

Fill out our Workshop Request form online or download and print a hard copy to send via traditional mail.

Working with People with Disabilities: The Basics in Identifying and Overcoming Barriers

This workshop is designed to provide basic information about a variety of visible and invisible disabilities, perspective taking, and accommodation in the areas of musculoskeletal, neurological, psychosocial, cognitive and communication processes and the implications to daily functioning. Participants will learn to interview clients and caregivers, to identify barriers, to problem solve basic modifications to overcome those barriers, and learn to locate additional resources. Improve your skills to understand the challenges that people with disabilities face in daily life activities.

What attendees are saying:

“We asked Melissa to come and teach our organization about disabilities and how to better accommodate our clients. Handi-Dogs teaches people with disabilities how to train their own service or companion dog. All of our instructors are professional dog trainers. As CEO, I feel that our instructors need to understand the disabilities experienced by our clients to better equip them to meet the client's needs. The workshop on the basics of disability that Melissa presented was tremendous. It provided our instructors and volunteers the necessary perceptions of a person with a disability. Since we had just undergone a major change in staff and program design, this workshop was invaluable to our staff in bring them up to speed on the nature of the disabilities we work with.

The workshop was an opportunity to participate in activities that simulated what it might feel like to have a visual impairment, the inability to use an arm or leg, the inability to be able to speak, inability to hear properly, etc. I would tell participants to be open to the opportunity and participate in every exercise. There is so much to learn and many of the valuable experience were so subtle. We walked away with the understanding about what to ask our clients, so we can offer more accommodations. We would highly recommend this course to other organizations who work with people with disabilities.”

Joanne M. Mauger, MPA ~ President/CEO, Handi-Dogs, Inc.; Tucson, AZ