Successfully Employing Your Personal Assistants: A Workshop Series for People with Disabilities
This training program, which is divided into three workshops, is intended to prepare people with disabilities to find and effectively supervise their own personal assistance staff. Consumers who will benefit from this curriculum include those who:
1) Receive agency services and are actively exploring the consumer-directed option;
2) Have been approved for consumer-directed service and are actively seeking employees; or
3) Have already begun to direct their own services.
The three workshops, which provide an opportunity to learn and practice new skills, are:
- Choosing a Personal Assistance Option (2 sessions). In this workshop consumers consider the advantages and disadvantages of the agency, consumer-directed, and blended options for obtaining necessary services and supports. They learn about the roles and responsibilities associated with employing PAs, and determine if the consumer-directed approach is right for them.
- Finding and Hiring Personal Assistants (4 sessions). Participants learn how to find strong candidates for PA positions. They develop skills and ideas for effective interviewing of candidates and learn steps for hiring a personal assistant, including establishing clear expectations and understanding of PA duties and responsibilities.
- Supervising Personal Assistants (3 sessions). This workshop focuses on developing strategies and skills for supervising personal assistants. Participants are introduced to the core skills that comprise the PHI Coaching Approach℠,—effective communication skills, self-awareness, managing emotions, giving constructive feedback, and the ability to identify and present problems in a clear and supportive way.
Download Introduction and Sample Activities:
- Introduction and Course Outline (PDF)
- From “Choosing a Personal Assistance Option”: Activity 1.2, My Ideal Day (PDF)
- From “Finding & Hiring”: Activity 3.2, Telephone Pre-Screening (PDF)
- From “Supervising Personal Assistants”: Activity 1.3, Introduction to the PHI Coaching Approach℠ to Supervision (PDF)
