In her recent novel, “small great things,” author Jodi Picoult addressed the difference between equality and equity. As one of the author’s character explained it: “Equality is treating everyone the… Read more

October was anti-bullying month, so naturally we at DirectCourse thought this would be a good time to talk about this issue, and how it may affect people with disabilities. Research… Read more

Direct service professionals are an often-overlooked specialty in need of tolerant, good-natured workers; those who can provide the delicate care needed to keep up with the various challenges that are… Read more

  There’s no love like a dogs love. As man’s best friend, dogs have that unique gift to make you feel loved and cherished. They also, as researchers say, have… Read more

Last month marked the 26th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by President H.W. Bush in 1990. A law that ensured that people with disabilities… Read more

Every day, billions of emojis are sent back and forth on social media applications and have come to play a quite significant role in the world of text communication. There has been… Read more

According to Disability Scoop, an estimated 50,000 students with autism graduate from high school each year, entering into the scary realm of adulthood. However, now that they are adults and… Read more

NEW Courses Now Available! We have released two new courses, one in College of Employment Services and the other in College of Recovery and Community Inclusion. Customers of the applicable… Read more

Upcoming Therap Conferences Therap Services, LLC. is a web-based service organization that provides an integrated solution for documentation, reporting and communication needs of agencies providing support to people with developmental… Read more

This past February, The Arc of Minnesota partnered with the University of Minnesota and DirectCourse to make four online curricula available to Minnesota families and people with disabilities absolutely free. The Arc… Read more

This past May, the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) held its first Annual Meeting & Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Titled “The First One”, in anticipation of many such… Read more

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, over one billion people on Earth have some form of disability. If you have a disability, know or work with someone with… Read more

In this age of smartphones, tablets, and apps that can help a person do virtually everything, direct support professionals (DSPs) are also discovering that modern technology is helping them better… Read more

As the need for direct service workers (DSW) increases nationwide, ensuring that they provide quality support is of paramount importance. However, for DSWs, pay has stagnated and turnover is high,… Read more

Last year, the State of Minnesota entered a contract with DirectCourse to make the College of Direct Support curriculum available to all county, tribal and Department of Human Services staff… Read more

March/April 2015 Connections Admin Corner The College of Direct Support was featured in the January 2015 issue of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) Newsletter for… Read more

DirectCourse Crosswalks to the HCBS Regulatory Requirements: College of Direct Support College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving   The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is engaged in an… Read more

As we start the New Year, the DirectCourse team has been reflecting upon a successful 2014, surrounded by friends, old and new. We invite you to share in our reflection… Read more

Register Today! Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) sponsored the creation of the Road Map for Core Competencies for the Direct Service Workforce (DSW), which is to… Read more

As internet technology improves day-by-day, federal and state agencies are beginning to embrace online learning to streamline and improve training. This past July, the State of New Jersey decided to… Read more

This July, Elsevier launched PolicyNavigator, an efficient and flexible management tool that pairs perfectly with Elsevier Performance Manager – the platform on which most DirectCourse users access their content.  PolicyNavigator… Read more

Did you miss our webinar with Nancy Thaler?  Don’t worry – we recorded it. Check it out here: “Future Needs of Caregivers in the Home” with Nancy Thaler, Executive Director of… Read more

Since 2002, the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and the Research & Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota have been bestowing the Moving Mountains Award… Read more

This past January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release detailing important news for seniors and people with disabilities. The Centers for Medicare &… Read more

DirectCourse is proud to present the recording of its latest webinar, Future Needs of Caregivers in the Home, presented by Nancy Thaler, Executive Director of the National Association of State… Read more

In 2009, the New Jersey Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition created the New Jersey Career Path for DSP’s, in order to help increase the skills of direct support professionals… Read more

Thank you to all participants in the making of our new video, which is now posted on our website: www.directcourseonline.com Ben Woodworth, Director of Training, Iowa Association of Community Providers Megan Hartwig, Technical… Read more

For over a dozen years, Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has been providing self-advocates, families and direct support staff with access to the DirectCourse/College of… Read more

We are proud to announce that Elsevier’s Customer Support Team is providing training directed to clients using DirectCourse products on a bi-monthly basis, as of this April! Please check your… Read more

You have questions – we have answers! Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive, as well as our responses. How are your curricula developed? Will… Read more

Large or small, organizations that help improve workforce outcomes for direct support professionals (DSPs) and their employers are being sought for possible nomination for the 2014 Moving Mountains Award. The… Read more

Each year, the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD) bestows its Direct Support Professional (DSP) Award for Excellence on an individual “whose dedication, advocacy, compassion, competence, person-centered approaches and… Read more

At a recent Leadership Summit sponsored by the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), researchers from the Institute of Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Minnesota presented… Read more

Thanks to cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase in 2014. COLA is engaged when inflation rises, to help cover the rise in the… Read more

Whether the economy’s soaring or times are tough, organizations are always seeking ways to cut costs and stretch their budgets whenever, and wherever, possible. With this in mind, DirectCourse has… Read more

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly salary for home health aides, or direct support professionals (DSPs), meaning those workers who provide support to people with physical… Read more

Elsevier and the United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) have reached an agreement to offer the DirectCourse/College of Direct Support (CDS) online education and training to the network’s nearly 100 affiliates. The… Read more

The City University of New York (CUNY) and its School of Professional Studies (SPS) have a long-standing history of providing direct support workers with the skills and knowledge to improve… Read more

This February the National Council on Disabilities (NCD) issued a report, CMS Managed Care NCD Recommendations, examining the increased financial burden that state governments face when addressing managed care for… Read more

Elsevier, a global leader in medical and health information, continues to find ways to make its DirectCourse online curriculum even more accessible to its learning community. We have successfully launched… Read more

DirectCourse…online curricula for life in community A decade ago the College of Direct Support (CDS) online curriculum was a vision fast becoming reality. Its founder Bill Tapp, DirectCourse Vice President,… Read more

The newly designed DirectCourse website, that embraces new branding, was released November 2011. The website that is optimized for organize web searches enables existing and prospective customers and visitors to… Read more

ATLANTA, November 30, 2011 — DirectCourse is anchored by the renowned College of Direct Support (CDS), plus the addition of the College of Employment Services. Elsevier, a world-leading provider of… Read more

If the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, location, then the three most important factors in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities must be inclusion,… Read more

The College of Employment Services (CES), Elsevier’s second online training curriculum in its new DirectCourse overbrand developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at University of Massachusetts Boston, will… Read more

The Emory Valley Center (EVC) began using the College of Direct Support (CDS) online learning in 2008 and our staff, unaccustomed to computer-based training, responded quite well! How well? EVC… Read more

Though it will never be enough, I like the fact that as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) I am a part of opening more doors for the people we serve,”… Read more

AbilityFirst’s partnership with the College of Direct Support (CDS) has had a positive impact on our organization, an impact that can be seen and felt when someone walks into any… Read more

New Horizons Resources, Inc. (NHR) is a not-for-profit agency providing supports to children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Hudson Valley Region of New York State. Our mission is… Read more

Nominations are now being accepted for the prestigious 2012 Moving Mountains Awards that recognize and honor organizations using best practices in direct support staff workforce development. The deadline for nominations… Read more

The partnership between OHI in Maine and Elsevier/College of Direct Support (CDS) began in March 2010. Bonnie-Jean Brooks, the founder and CEO of this 33-year-old agency says, “CDS completely changed… Read more

The University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center of Community Living, authors of the College Of Direct Support curriculum and Elsevier are pleased to announce the release of a new… Read more

Elsevier’s product line of online training curricula under the brand of DirectCourse will officially launch in November, along with the introduction of its second curriculum – the College of Employment… Read more

Elsevier Performance Manager: Featuring Content Elsevier Performance Manager: Core Development is an online education and performance management solution that offers administrators, such as you, tools needed to better manage, develop… Read more

Written by Tom King Her powerful words quickly convey why Gina Bartlow is the 2011 ANCOR Direct Support Professional (DSP) of the Year. “I am an ordinary person doing an… Read more

Koinonia Homes Inc., (Koinonia) has signed a three-year contract with Elsevier/College of Direct Support (CDS) to use the College of Direct Support online curriculum and Elsevier’s Performance Manager for staff… Read more

Dr. K. Charlie Lakin, for 22 years the Director of the Institute on Community Integration’s Research and Training Center (RTC) on Community Living at the University of Minnesota and a… Read more