Workshops for People with Disabilities
This experiential, strengths-based program is designed to reduce bullying, exploitation and abuse against people with disabilities. People with disabilities or other special needs are at a higher risk for abuse. We have been successful in teaching personal safety and self-protection skills to thousands of children, teens and adults with diverse physical, cognitive, developmental, intellectual and neurological abilities.
Our workshops are tailored to work with the strengths of every student. We make adaptations for how different people’s bodies and minds work, focusing on what they can do, rather than what they cannot.
We teach the full spectrum of “People Safety” skills, including:
- Being and acting aware
- Setting boundaries
- Staying safe from bullying or verbal attack
- Getting help
- Staying safe while riding public transit
- Making safe choices with support tools such as canes, service dogs, and wheelchairs
- Learning effective self-protection skills focusing on abilities
How do we teach these skills?
We work with partner organizations such as schools, agencies, and workplace sites to provide workshops onsite in places familiar to the student and with staff and parents who can reinforce the core concepts. Programs are usually funded through grant sources provided to the school/agency, to Kidpower, or in collaboration so that funding isn’t an extra burden for families of special needs students.
Students of varied cognitive and physical abilities have found our services to be relevant, interesting, and well-suited for their own ways of moving, thinking, perceiving, and communicating.
Our workshops offer a safe and secure environment for strengths-based, “learning by doing” through role-play and positive examples. We have fun while developing powerful and practical skills. We also provide Parent Training and Training of Professionals so that school and agency staff can integrate our program into their curriculum and activities.
For additional resources, please see the articles on our International website and also our free, self-paced Safety Powers Course for captioned videos and practice guides, offered through our Online Learning Center.
What about services for people facing other life challenges?
