Bureau of Disability Services Innovation Pilot Project (IPP)

Learning about your lived experience

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) has teamed up with the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) and the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) to launch the Innovation Pilot Project (IPP) Grants.

These grants aim to help home and community-based services (HCBS) providers, community groups, self-advocates, and families find new ways to support Hoosiers who rely on services from BDDS.

Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), these grants are specifically designed to improve services for individuals with disabilities and their families. The pilots give an opportunity to:

• Test out fresh service approaches that could be expanded for wider use.
• Foster partnerships between private and public sectors to create more job and community involvement opportunities for BDDS service recipients.
• Explore innovative ways to meet the specific needs of individuals seeking or receiving services from DDRS/BDDS.
• In general, find ways to enhance the lives of Hoosiers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Using a gap analysis to explore developmental disabilities

HANDS in Autism® is conducting a gap analysis to explore developmental disabilities through lived experience with individuals, family members, and caregivers on the Bureau of Disabilities Services (BDS) waiver waitlist across Indiana.

The data collected serves to inform the state and best guide recommendations for policies, processes, services, and programming as it pertains to developmental disabilities (DD) in Indiana.

We are looking for individuals, family members, and caregivers of any age currently on the Bureau of Disabilities Services (BDS) waiver waitlist. Potential participants can engage in an online, anonymous survey. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

If you are interested in contributing more information about your experiences, difficulties, and successes while on the Bureau of Disabilities Services (BDS) waiver waitlist, the HANDS in Autism® Innovative Pilot Project team will also be conducting individual interviews via phone or web conference.

Developmental Disabilities and Autism ECHO Series 

The HANDS in Autism Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) series aims to educate community providers, healthcare providers, educators, families, consumers, and other participants on developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, through virtual sessions.
 
This is a FREE event held weekly throughout the year. Our current series is Education and will be held on Fridays from 12:00-1:30 pm ET through August 30th.  

Register here for the free series: https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b2usIWtbcHiDuR0

More information is available here: https://handsinautism.iu.edu/partnerships/international/echo.html 

Developmental Disabilities and Autism ECHO Series recordings 

Our Developmental Disabilities and Autism ECHO Series recordings are now available on IU Expand. Micro credentialing and badging are also available. Click here for steps to register for a free account: https://shorturl.at/duJFE in order to access the recordings. 

HANDS in Autism Community Provider 3-Day Training

Who should attend?

Staff who supervise or provide waiver services, including professionals from various disciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, medicine, justice), service delivery settings (e.g., home, school, clinic, community), and those who work in multiple roles (e.g., direct service personnel, case managers, therapists, first responders, general community members).

What is this training about?

Providers and support personnel access many trainings ongoing as aligned with their professional service and the ever-changing and evolving landscape of opportunities and needs for those we serve; however, professionals often lack the chance to see strategies and concepts modeled with further chance to engage in  hands-on application, coaching, feedback and self-reflection that supports effective application, implementation, and capacity for individualization of evidence-based practices for individuals across a range of disabilities and needs. HANDS trainings feature interactive activities designed to provide modeling or demonstration of concepts and strategies, hands-on practice of skills, both independently and in groups, as well as debrief and feedback as participants consider application in the training context and their own settings respectively. The training aims to equip participants with the tools, resources and skills needed for effective implementation with individuals as well as understanding to help in coaching implementation between caregivers and individuals.

Building on the longstanding efficacy, adaptability and transportability of the HANDS Model (learn more at HANDS in Autism® Model), selected modules or evidence-based practices specific to foundational supports will be covered within the HANDS Community Provider 3-Day training as follows:

1. Disability basics
2. Evidence-based practices
3. Implementation supports: Strategies that are essential across intervention and programming inclusive of (1) Prompting, (2) Differential reinforcement, and (3) Collaboration.
4. Physical structure
5. Visual structure
6. Schedules
7. Work systems
8. Choreography
9. Ongoing data-driven decision-making

Participants who complete the HANDS Community Provider 3-Day Training will be able to opt in to the first HANDS Foundational Supports Internal Coach badging cohort. Those within the first cohort will further their learning and skills thru a structured facilitation and mentoring model to enhance their capacity to coach other providers through a structured skills training and internal coaching development process.

Objectives

Participants within the HANDS Community Provider 3-Day Training will:

1. Improve their knowledge of disabilities and evidence-based practices in the field of disabilities
2. Increase their skills in apply training curriculum content
3. Enhance their implementation of and ability to individualize training curriculum content
4. Build their set of practical resources and tools to implement and coach trained strategies with individuals and caregivers

Objectives will be accomplished thru a combination of asynchronous or virtual learning modules and synchronous or face to face (either online or in person) training times as shared below. Both asynchronous and synchronous learning is steeped with application and feedback opportunities; however, the synchronous sessions will provide opportunity for hands-on work with individuals individually and in groups.

Cost

The training is free for selected applicants, with costs offset and covered by Innovative Pilot Project (IPP) funds through the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Bureau of Disability Services (BDS).

Training Dates

1. Session I (3 consecutive weeks, September 4, 11, 18, 2024, 9:00am-12:00pm EST), In-Person
2. Session I (3 consecutive weeks, September 4, 11, 18, 2024, 9:00am-12:00pm EST), Virtual
3. Session 2 (3 consecutive weeks, September 4, 11, 18, 2024, 1:00pm-4:00pm EST), In-Person
4. Session 2 (3 consecutive weeks, September 4, 11, 18, 2024, 1:00pm-4:00pm EST), Virtual
5. Let me know about the next session(s)
   
   Sign up to participate in interviews and focus groups