Youth and Self-Advocacy project

The ADA and Self-Advocacy for Youth — Train-the-Trainer Curriculum is a 12 module curriculum designed to teach youth and young adults to become better self-advocates as they begin to take on adult roles. The curriculum is used by the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind in Spartanburg, SC, and TransCen, Inc. in Rockville, MD. Each of the 12 modules has multiple components, including:

  • PowerPoint slides with presentation content and talking notes
  • Training facilitator talking points and speaker notes
  • Videos and other multi-media content (when appropriate)
  • Activities such as role play scenarios, quizzes, and art activities
  • Relevant resources including targeted documents, organizations, and websites

The modules are designed to be presented in stand-alone sessions. Shorter or longer sessions may be developed based upon the students’ needs. A menu of interactive exercises is provided for each module. One or more activities may be selected to reinforce the learning objectives based upon the needs of the facilitator and students.

Three modules, ADA in the Workplace, Talking about my Disability, and The ADA and Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace, have been re-purposed into a modular course on the Southeast ADA Center’s Learning Management System. These modules are designed to be used by educators to provide self-advocacy instruction for students in transition to adult roles.