Later Life Mentoring and Self-Advocacy Training
Training Staff: Essie Pederson, MEd & Tia Nelis, Self-Advocacy Specialist

The RRTC is at the center of the self-determination movement. RRTC Self-Advocacy Specialist Tia Nelis and Tamar Heller are part of the management core for the Center on Self-Determination at Oregon Health Sciences University and Essie Pederson is the director of Capabilities Unlimited, which has been at the cutting edge of Leadership Training. The RRTC will develop and provide training to older adults with I/DD on how to maintain a sense of purpose and be a an active member of the community by “giving back to the community” and by becoming self-advocates on aging concerns, mentoring younger adults with disabilities and volunteering with local organizations. The curriculum will be based on an adaptation of Franklin Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” for adults with I/DD. The Covey training, which will be conducted by Pederson and Nelis, teaches people how to implement these skills in their own lives to achieve their personal goals. Pederson and Nelis, who are at the forefront of leadership training, will develop the curriculum and conduct the training. Training will be piloted among 30 individuals recruited from People First groups in Illinois and Ohio. Our goal is to provide this training to 100 individuals with I/DD. The curriculum will be evaluated, finalized, and a train-the-trainer version will be added to the RRTCs training curriculum “Making Choices as We Age: A Peer Training Program.” This curriculum trains adults with disabilities and their co-trainers how to teach other adults with I/DD about choice making, rights and responsibilities, how to make healthy choices, and things to do in their free time. This new module can be presented on a stand-alone basis or taught as part of the Making Choices curriculum. Training will be offered nationally through self-advocacy organizations and community service agencies. The RRTC will continue to provide training on Using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and to provide training and technical assistance for the Project Vote initiative.