Consumer Internet Training Project
Principal Investigator: Lex Frieden, M.A.,
Independent Living Research Utilization
Time Frame: Years 3 - 5
This project involves development and delivery of an on-line course in which trainers on staff of centers for independent living will be trained in setting up and conducting a health and wellness program for their consumers. As a result of taking the train-the-trainers course, participants will be able to guide people with disabilities in formulating independent health and wellness goals.
Working from the premise that independent health and wellness goals rely on self-defined quality of life issues rather than medically oriented statistics, this course will explore the synergism that occurs when healthy lifestyles and quality of life intersect in a goal-oriented setting.
Drawing on the 'Healthy Lifestyles' curriculum developed at OHSU, the course will examine the different areas of healthy lifestyles, including emotional, physical, social, and meaningful activities. The role of self-care for emotional and physical healthy lifestyles will also be explored. The importance of connecting with others and spiritual values with regard to healthy lifestyles for social and meaningful activities will also be examined. The techniques for establishing, monitoring, adjusting, and reinforcing goals will be explored.
After taking this course, participants:
- will be able to assist people with disabilities in the formulation of healthy lifestyle goals in four areas: emotional, physical, social, and meaningful activities;
- will be familiar with the different types of goals, including short-range, long-range, tangible, and intangible.
- will be prepared to assist in the various phases of goals: defining, monitoring, reinforcing, and adjusting; and
- will understand the significance of barriers, help consumers anticipate and plan for barriers, and encourage consumers to seek support during the monitoring stage.
While the 'Healthy Lifestyles' course is being adapted for on-line delivery and content related to assisting others in setting and monitoring goals is being incorporated, the course Web site is being developed. It includes sections for posting of assignments, a dedicated discussion forum, exchange of private/one-on-one e-mail among participants as well as between instructor and participant, a library of resource materials, links to Web sites and audio-streamed presentations, a live chat area, bio-sketches of participants and instructor, and other needed areas.
To field test the course, five experienced independent living skills training staff members of centers for independent living will take the course and provide feedback in the following areas:
- Relevancy of the course content.
- Helpfulness of the manual.
- Usefulness of the instructor's experiences, ideas, and insights.
- Practical applications of the course to my job.
- Appropriateness of examples for my job.
- Usefulness of ideas from other participants.
- Content stimulation for discussing ideas with local colleagues.
- Benefits of this course in relationship to my time and effort.
- Adaptations required for implementation at your center.
- Effectiveness of the distance learning techniques.
- Changes you would recommend.
Revisions to the course will be implemented based on the recommendations of the field-test participants, and then the course will be offered to training staff of centers for independent living. At the same time, efforts will be made to have the course accepted as one of the on-line training programs offered by the national independent living training and technical assistance project funded by RSA.
The field test phase will be conducted in March 2003.
Initially, this project was planned to be an on-line training program delivered to consumers. After consideration, however, it was decided that by developing a train-the-trainer course directed toward training staff of CILs, the course had the potential of continuing far beyond the life of the RRTC and reaching a far greater number of consumers.
Research
-
Can an on-line course be used effectively to deliver independent living skills training and other core CIL services to consumers who live in geographically isolated areas of the country?
- Can a CIL operate entirely on-line, including delivery of the four core services and conducting other routine CIL business?
