Knowledge Exchange

The Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development Group (in collaboration with MCCSS, Barnes Management Group, and REAL Xchange, and with input from families and service providers) developed this module toolkit to help families and organizations in the Developmental Services sector find and retain talented employees.  The module aims to strengthen recruitment and retention strategies to build a strong, skilled, diverse and professional workforce that will help people participate meaningfully in their communities and live good lives.

This module will help you become more aware of what artificial intelligence can offer, how it works, what to watch out for, and how you can use it responsibly to make things faster and easier in your work.  ​By the end of this module, you will be more knowledgeable about Generative AI and perhaps even a bit excited about giving it a try! 

The statistics and facts presented in this module paint a rather stark and sobering picture of the realities of this worldwide crime. In this module you will learn about the realities of human trafficking, why vulnerable people, like those with developmental disabilities, are at a heightened risk for being trafficked, what you can do to respond, and you’ll learn more about what the province is doing to combat this crime through their anti-human trafficking 5-year strategy.

In an era where cybersecurity threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace, understanding how to safeguard your agency has never been more critical. Todd Cox of Attache Group, offers actionable strategies for anyone looking to fortify their defenses against the digital dangers of today. Special attention is given to the unique challenges faced by small and mid-size agencies, ensuring tailored advice that’s both practical and effective.

This module aims to assist individuals in the non-profit sector in expanding their current understanding of accessibility, inclusivity, disabilities, and workplace accommodations.  Module viewers will learn the importance, advantages, and current leading practices of providing workplace accommodations for their organizations and strategies for their effective implementation.

The influence of technology reaches every facet of our lives, including the way we offer services and support to people with disabilities. This module aims to keep you updated on the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of technology.  Discover the benefits of emerging technologies and learn how to incorporate them into service and program delivery to assist people with disabilities. Explore the advantages of utilizing Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence to enhance workforce development in our sector.

Navigating the diverse landscape of experiences related to disability and life, our professional interactions often bring us face-to-face with people whose perspectives and experience of disability differ significantly from our own. This module serves as a compass, guiding you in the creation of safe and supportive spaces for meaningful conversations with those whom you provide services and support.

CanChild's F-Words for Child Development - Family, Fun, Friends, Functioning, Fitness, and Future - give us a new way to think about how children grow and develop. They help us think about the things that children CAN do versus what they cannot do and how to focus on their strengths.

It is critical that everyone in a person’s network be aligned to support their employment goals. In this introductory module, you will gain insight about this interactive in-person or virtual training offered by the Ontario Disability Employment Network. Learn how everyone in a person’s support network can positively contribute to that person’s employment goals.

The Youth Success Strategy for Developmental Services module will explore strategies needed to create an inclusive employment vision for young people who have a developmental disability. Learn more about what needs to happen now to create a future for a person you provide support to, or a client, which includes meaningful, paid employment.

This module provides a high-level overview of ODEN’s DACT course, designed to help staff be more responsive to the broader abilities of people who have a disability. Learn about the benefits of inclusive hiring and dispel the myths surrounding people who have a disability.

Stay up-to-date on featured research projects with the Professional Learning & Development Webinar Series, brought to you by Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and Partners for Planning.

We all share a common vision – to see people with a developmental disability live full, meaningful lives in our communities.  Community Living Welland Pelham, C. Fast Consulting and Partners for Planning have created this Living the Vision module on independent facilitation, which helps to keep a person’s visions, desires and wishes front and centre.  Learn more about how planning and facilitation supports can help people and families start living the vision for their life.

Recruiting new hires is tough. To retain them, people need to feel confident and equipped in the first few months of employment. To support this effort, Karis Disability Services (formerly Christian Horizons) offers four virtual courses. The content included here is transferrable to any Developmental Service organization. For more information, click on this module and get started!

Now, more than ever, is the time to think strategically about change and this workbook provides a whole new frontier of change management. In this module you will be introduced to the fundamentals of the workbook and how to engage with the workbook meaningfully.

This module will introduce you to jobPath, a curriculum-based program for employment service providers and other community organizations that currently operate or are planning to operate an employment program for job seekers who have a disability.

Learn about the ways technology can increase communication, collaboration, and capacity in your organization, so that you can better support the people you serve.

The Cultivating Community Wellness Initiative, funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, seeks to support the mental health of Direct Support Professionals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  The goal of the Cultivating Community Wellness Initiative is to bring people together from across the sector to develop skills, to help each other through regular sharing and connecting with one another.

This module will help you determine if establishing a partnership is a useful tool for your organization, to provide information on how to create a partnership with one or more organizations to support or enhance your program delivery, and to share with you some examples of partnerships in action.

Through the Employment and Modernization Fund (EMF), developmental service agencies were supported to promote person-centered approaches in inclusive, community-based settings through a collaborative and efficient service delivery network.  In this module series, we will focus on five themes derived from these projects, sharing the body of knowledge culled from these initiatives.

Debunk common myths about knowledge translation and transfer, learn more about what knowledge translation and transfer really is and form a knowledge foundation to grasp concepts found in additional modules on the REAL Xchange.