Piloting Peer Mentor Training Curriculum – Community Bridges Consulting Group

Through fiscal support from the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, Community Bridges administered two cohorts of participants in North Carolina. The pilot projects activities included cohort recruitment and selection, 12 weeks of classes led by four instructors (including two individuals with I/DD), stipends for the participants, and assessments and tests. Within a short, two-week application window, over 150 individuals applied to be participants in the Pilots. This shows the desire of people with I/DD to acquire training that will help them advance professionally in the disability field. The cohorts were composed of individuals with various intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and cerebral palsy, and focused on providing them with training in the self-advocacy and mentoring skills necessary to support the personal and professional success of others with I/DD. Throughout the summer, the cohort held weekly classes, in which it discussed diverse themes related to the disability community, including independent living skills, self-advocacy, and responding to discrimination in the workplace. Each member shared thought-provoking insights about their personal experiences, how they have dealt with personal issues, and how they can use their lived experience to guide others in a person-centered way.

Participant Testimonials:

"This class brought a topic that is very unheard of: peers helping peers. Thank you for giving us the chance to try something new and create change for our peers."

"This experience was great. I learned a lot from this class. I appreciated getting to know everyone. I feel like I learned a lot."

"I learned so much! Many things I’ve learned can help me, and now I can help others."

"One of the most compelling strengths of the program was the implicit context that people what IDD have valuable wisdom and great potential to support others in similar situations. There was great emphasis on intellectual accessibility via guiding participants to understand their own experience and how it relates to supporting others in supporting another person’s self-determination and self-advocacy."

"I felt the class was very informative and beneficial for my self-advocacy skills and training in providing peer mentor support for other people with IDD's. I was able to draw upon my personal experiences and contribute them to the class discussion, and it was very interesting to learn about other participants' experiences and listen to their insights."