About this course
This five-module series prepares Direct Support Professionals to support people with disabilities in finding, keeping, and growing in real jobs in the community. Module 1 covers why employment matters: the Employment First movement, competitive integrated employment under WIOA, the benefits of work, common myths, and benefits-planning awareness. Module 2 covers person-centered career planning and the Discovery process, including vocational themes and informational interviews. Module 3 covers customized employment: job carving, job creation, and interest-based employer negotiation. Module 4 covers supported employment practice: job development, workplace and natural supports, and disclosure. Module 5 covers job coaching built on systematic instruction — task analysis, prompting hierarchies, planned fading, and long-term extended supports. Content is grounded in ACRE and APSE employment-support competencies, U.S. Department of Labor ODEP guidance on Employment First and customized employment, the customized-employment literature of Griffin-Hammis Associates, Marc Gold & Associates' 'Try Another Way' systematic-instruction tradition, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The series totals approximately 220 minutes and concludes with a scored 15-question knowledge check spanning all five modules; a score of at least 80% is required to pass. It is designed to satisfy training-alternative requirements for Individualized Supported Employment (ISE) providers, including South Dakota's five required content domains.