Dianne Lescinskas, Project B.I.N.D. Director at Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, José Rosado, Director of Programs at Liberty Mutual Foundation, and Genelle Thomas, National Center Director at PYD.
Liberty Mutual Foundation’s commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities led to an important series of trainings hosted on October 18th and November 18th, when more than 40 of their grantees participated in inclusion training facilitated by PYD’s National Center. Grantees represented a variety of social service organizations and schools throughout Boston and the surrounding areas, including KIPP Massachusetts, Catholic Charities Teen Center at St. Peter’s, Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass, and MathPOWER.
Genelle Thomas, National Center Director at PYD, conducting an inclusion training for Liberty Mutual grantees
“Expanding Access and Inclusion to People with Disabilities” provided information about disability statistics, the definition of inclusion, legal implications, inclusive communication, disability etiquette, inclusive marketing, outreach, and interviewing, and more. One aspect of the training series was a panel discussion, “Exemplary Providers in Inclusion.” Panelists included representatives from Future Chefs, Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, and PYD.
This highly interactive training received positive reviews, with 92% of attendees who “strongly agreed” or “agreed” with the statement, “As a result of this training, I better understand the definition of inclusion and the benefits of implementing inclusion in my program.” One common theme after the training was attendees reporting that they would share the information with colleagues, with evaluation responses such as “As a result of the training, I will focus more on inclusive communication and share these strategies with colleagues.”
For more information on the National Center and inclusion trainings, please email gthomas@pyd.org.