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ILS Training Program 

Below is a brief description of the different training components that we offer:

Money Management Training

  • applying for SSI benefits
  • developing a savings plan 
  • budgeting lessons
  • gaining employment
  • understanding monthly income and expenses 
  • learning effective ways to reduce spending
  • becoming more independent with managing all aspects of personal finances 
  • Housing Goals
  • putting together both short term and long term housing plans
  • exploring shared bedroom options as well as room and board costs 
  • Applying for low income housing 

Cooking/Shopping

  • providing hands on cooking lessons
  • teaching people how to cook new meals of their choice
  • Researching recipes
  • developing cook books
  • creating shopping lists
  • locating food items within a store while practicing price comparison shopping skills
  • Learning effective ways to transport groceries home 
  • Kitchen safety training 

Personal Health & Hygiene

  • providing support during client medical appointments 
  • teaching people how to better their overall health, including both physical and mental 
  • helping people better understand their own personal health needs
  • health education- including healthy food choices, accessing various health programs offered in the community, etc.
  • understanding/implementing the best hygiene practices 

Self-Advocacy Training 

  • learning effective communication skills
  • we practice our techniques in this area through different lessons such as role play exercises and also by going out into the community in public settings to practice these skills in real life situations 
  • building confidence when speaking  
  • preparing for potential job interviews
  • understanding the importance of body language, eye contact, and tone of voice when advocating 

Independent Recreation

  • learning how to become more social 
  • developing friendships
  • becoming more socially active out within the community
  • learning about new community activities taking place
  • learning how to plan ahead to attend any recreational events of interest, including transportation and also budgeting for the anticipated costs

Cleaning 

  • learning effective ways to become more organized 
  • learning how to properly clean certain parts of the home
  • developing cleaning systems, including cleaning schedules 
  • Organizing important documents, including mail  
  • completing cleaning tasks such as laundry, independently  

Community Resources

  • School options/resources 
  • Getting prepared for the DMV written exam
  • Applying for IHSS services
  • leaning how to utilize local library services offered 
  • getting set up with parenting classes, anger management classes, etc.
  • Accessing any community resource/program depending upon the need 

Menu Planning/Meal Prep

  • creating weekly/daily menu plans
  • utilizing various templates/strategies until a good system is found 
  • making this goal fun, yet meaningful 
  • introducing new meal prep ideas/activities to help stay organized throughout the week when cooking for an individual or for the entire household 
  • including healthy eating when implementing/developing a new menu plan

Home & Community Safety

  • learning how to become safer at home and while out in the community 
  • developing emergency contact lists 
  • understanding when to call 911
  • kitchen safety
  • public transportation safety 

Use of Medical and Dental Services 

  • applying for medical and dental insurance
  • help choosing a new primary care physician 
  • learning the process for seeking any new medical equipment needed
  • addressing any medical or dental insurance concerns as they arise 
  • Helping to seek dental options, including understanding payments and financial assistance programs 

Use of Public Transportation

  • Learning how to use the local public transportation system (RT)
  • Our instructors will ride the bus with our clients to teach them new bus routes of their choice and how to become more  comfortable with using the bus system in general
  • Learning how to utilize Uber/Lyft services, including its app functionality and pricing 
  • Applying for Paratransit services, learning how to utilize these services 

Here’s some more photos of what we’ve been working on!

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