Awareness & Sensitivity Overview

Disability Awareness and Sensivity:
Treatment Protocols for People with Physical, Sensory, and Cognitive Disabilities

Objectives:  The workshop will help the clinician look beyond the individual's disability and consider individual issues on a case-by-case basis.

Participants are provided with the opportunity to: explore individual biases and dispel myths and stereotypes about people with disabilities; explore attitudes frequently held by persons with disabilities to determine how they impact the program goals to better serve clients with disabilities; and develop strategies for providing "reasonable accommodations" under the Americans with Disabilities Act in a manner that is not complex or expensive.

 Welcome/Introduction/Pretest

 15 Minutes

   
 Pick a Disability

 30 Minutes


Participants are asked to select two disabilities from a list of four:

  • First, select the disbaility they would prefer to have,
  • Second,  the disability they would least like to have. 

The selection is followed by an interactive group discussion of the factors and reasons that played a part in their decisions.  This is followed by a trainer lead discussion about their reactions to disabilities and how they can impact behavior towards persons with disabilities


Disability Awareness and Treatment Perspectives 

 (PowerPoint Presentation)   

    1 hour

This is a brief introduction to "what is a disability", definitions terminology, and federal and state regulations (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act , the ADA and the California Accessibility Regulations containing in Title 24 of the California Code of regulatins). Participants will also be introduced to the concept of alcohol and/or drugs as a coexisting disability, the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse for people with disabilities, concurrent treatment implications and recognizing barriers to services.

 Break

 15 Minutes

   
 Video

 30 Minutes


J.R.'s Story: The Disability of Chemical Dependency: Follows a young man who is quadriplegic as he struggles with his alcohol and drug addiction (Open Captioned)
 Pre-test Answers

 30 Minutes


Participants will be provided with the answers to the pretest and provided with rational and reasons for the responses including examples of  myths and sterotypes about people with disabilities and some pointers on disability ettiquete and interacting with people with disabilities.

At the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

  • Define and identify physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities
  • Identify the essential elements of the ADA and Section 504 of the   Rehabilitation Act
  • Recognize attitudinal, programmatic, policy, communication, and physical barriers
  • Have a better understanding of functional limitations caused by a disability and how to overcome them
  • Distinguish between alcohol and drugs as a disability and alcohol and drug dependency with a coexisting disability
  • Recognize the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse among people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities
  • Identify reasonable accomodations and basic treatment protocols for   people with disabilities.

TIP 29, Substance Use Disorder Treatment for People with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities, and a Checklist for Accessibility for Alcohol and Drug Programs developed by the CAARR's Disability Access Technical Assistance and Training Project can be provided upon request.