Skip to main content
Center on Aging and Community
What We Do > Training

Leadership Building for Advocacy

Workshop Descriptions


Choice, Rights and Responsibilities: What choices am I really making? What are my rights?
The focus is on what choices and decisions people in the general population make daily throughout their lives and how one makes informed choices. Strategies are discussed to help participants make more of their own choices, understand their rights and learn with choices come consequences and responsibilities. Negotiation is discussed as is the voting process.

Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy: I hear these words, what do they mean for me?
The meaning of self-advocacy and self-determination is explored. Much time is devoted to discussing what it means to be a self- advocate. Numerous opportunities to role play and problem solve are provided allowing much practice advocating and speaking up for oneself as well as a advocating for a group.

Person-Centered Planning: What does it mean for me and what is a good plan?
The focus of this workshop is to inform and reinforce the crucial role he/she plays in his/her plan, whether it is a person centered plan, day, residential, behavior or any plan. The responsibilities he/she has in being prepared and active in his/her meeting and ongoing plan as well as his/her rights in the meeting are explained. A highlight of this workshop is map making. Participants are provided opportunities to make two different personal maps that tell a story or a piece of their life. The map maker then shares the maps with the group.

Relationships, Romance and Intimacy: How do I get friends and find love?
Today, people with intellectual/developmental disabilities are exercising their right to be in a loving relationship more freely than in the past. They are falling in love. Some are getting married and some are having children. They have asked for information about cultivating relationships and romance. They have expressed, we want boyfriends and girlfriends, we want to date and we are interested in knowing how to express ourselves in safe and healthy ways. We also hear people say they are lonely and want more friends. This workshop focuses on the many different relationships we all experience, how to expand networks of relationships, dating intimacy, and sexual relationships.

I Want to be a Trainer: How do I make this happen?
People with disabilities have a lot to teach and share with others. This workshop lays the foundation for participants to partner with professionals and other trainers around the state. Participants learn strategies to teach adults as well as keep the audience engaged how to prepare and deliver a presentation and how to weave their personal life experiences into stories that impact the training topic.

Community Membership-Civic Engagement: How do I get involved in my community?
This workshop focuses on how to participate and engage more fully in your community, the steps and strategies to get connected with activities, clubs, organizations and other people as well as how to develop and nurture relationships. It will also focus on citizenship and leadership opportunities. 2-month booking notice required.

Healthy Aging/Healthy Living: How do I take care of myself and stay healthy?
This workshop focuses on how to keep ourselves healthy, how to partner with medical professionals, understanding what happens as we age and how to keep dreaming, speaking up and making plans as we get older. 2-month booking notice required.


Interested? To reiterate from the previous page, these workshops can be held in one of two formats:

  • Jennie comes to you: Jennie will train your participants with I/DD in one or multiple workshops over time. You provide space, ideally off-site, and any meals or hospitality required from 9 am – 4 pm. Her travel and presentation fees are negotiable.

  • You come to Bloomington: We host your chosen workshop or set of workshops. Presentation fees are negotiable. We provide guidance for accommodations, travel and food, or we can provide all accommodations for a fee covering costs.

Please feel free to partner with multiple agencies to build a larger participant pool than your group alone might have.

For more information, contact Jennie Todd at jeptodd@indiana.edu or 812-855-6508.