The ARC Partnership

Give Your Training a Boost

Relias and The Arc continue to work together to provide training resources that help organizations conquer employee engagement, development, and staff turnover.

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DSP Education

Accessible, consistent content that boosts employee productivity and satisfaction.

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Relias Academy

Online courses available for individual purchase tailored to I/DD professionals.

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Relias Learning Management System

An easy-to-use LMS that improves compliance and optimizes performance.

Relias and the ARC Webinar Series

Thriving in a Changing IDD Landscape

Relias and The Arc of the United States are teaming up to bring you a monthly webinar series throughout 2019. The series is entitled, “Thriving in a Changing IDD Landscape,” and we’re dividing the themes into quarters:

  • Q1: Invest in Your Organization
  • Q2: Invest in Your Qualified Intellectual Disability Professionals (QIDPs)
  • Q3: Invest in Your Direct Support Professionals (DSPs)
  • Q4: Invest in Your Services

Relias and The Arc are committed to helping you improve how your organization operates at every level. See below for details about upcoming and past webinars in this series.

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Past Webinars

November: How to Develop Employment Partnerships in IDD

Job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are an overlooked and underappreciated talent pool. For organizations hoping to develop employment opportunities for the people they serve, one of the biggest hurdles is building partnerships with businesses. In this webinar, you will learn:

- How to identify and connect with possible employment partners
- What is involved in educating local employers about the value that individuals with IDD can bring to their businesses
- Why training fellow employees and managers is critical to the employment success of an individual you support

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2019

October: Supporting Choice-Making in People With IDD

Some people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have difficulty making choices or communicating their choices to others. Unfortunately, many more do not get the opportunity to make their own choices, or the people who support them do not listen to their preferences. In this webinar, you will learn:

- What it means to have a philosophy of supporting choice-making and how to encourage it throughout your organization
- Methods for keeping the lines of communication open and making active listening a priority
- Practical skills for conflict resolution and problem-solving within choice-making

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2019

September: Deep Dive into Our DSP Survey Results

What motivates a direct support professional to stay on the job for five, 10 or even 20 years? What can you do to encourage your newer DSPs to stick around? Watch this short webinar to hear the results of our DSP survey. Find out how DSPs responded to questions like:

- What do you like most about your job?
- What motivates you to continue working for your current employer?
- What’s the most important thing your employer could do to make sure you stay with them?

Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019

July: Guide Your DSPs to Greatness

Being a DSP is often a difficult and complex job, and it takes great commitment, enthusiasm, fortitude and self-motivation to be a successful DSP. When properly managed, a DSP can play a critical role in the lives of the individuals they support. In this webinar, you will learn:

- What supervisors and administrators need to understand about the complexities of the DSP position and how to address challenges and seize opportunities
- How to manage DSPs to promote good judgment and improve service quality
- Why it is important to help DSPs grow both professionally and personally

Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2019

June: Learn About Assessments for QIDPs and IDD Nurses

Providing great care to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is about more than paperwork, but paperwork and documentation are also important! In this webinar, you will learn:

- How Relias developed its personnel assessments for QIDPs, managers, and nurses
- How assessments can help you improve service quality
- How you can enhance your hiring and professional development processes with assessments

Date: Thursday, June 27, 2019

May: Hiring and Retaining Great QPs

Developing a really great qualified intellectual disability professional (QIDP) isn’t easy, and keeping one is even harder. Whether you call them QIDPs, QPs, case managers or front-line supervisors, these professionals need opportunities for growth and development. In this webinar, you will learn how to:

- Develop QPs as future leaders of your organization
- Provide effective management for QPs
- Boost QP morale

Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019

April: Develop Supervisory Skills in Your QPs

Helping your QIDPs become effective leaders not only improves the quality of your services but also has a significant impact on DSP retention. In this webinar, you will learn:

- What skills are necessary to be an effective supervisor
- How to craft an effective supervisory training program
- What ongoing development QPs need to ensure success

Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019

March: Building a Culturally Competent Organization

We know IDD exists in all communities, regardless of income or background. But without proactive and targeted efforts, minority families of all kinds are often left out of the IDD community. In this webinar, you will learn how to:

- Assess your organization’s cultural competency
- Create a plan for engaging diverse communities
- Build culture competency into every level of your organization

Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2019

February: Leading During Change

The IDD landscape is constantly evolving, sometimes in frustrating ways. Your employees need strong leadership to avoid the frustration and discouragement that can come with systemic change. In this webinar, you will learn how to:

- Help employees adapt to change
- Overcome resistance to change
- Demonstrate your confidence in your team during times of change

Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2019

January: Creating a Positive Company Culture

Providing great IDD services begins with creating a company culture based on respect and dignity. In this webinar, you will learn:

- How to evaluate your company’s culture
- How focusing on culture can improve your organization’s performance
- Why culture is the key to employee retention

Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The ARC of the Midlands Impact Story