Professional Opportunities

College of Direct Support Professionals

The Missouri College of Direct Support (MoCDS) is a partnership of agencies that have joined together to create a training and certification program for direct support workers in Missouri. In November 2005, fourteen (14) provider agencies statewide agreed to participate in piloting the College of Direct Support (CDS) internet-based training curriculum for people in direct support roles. Currently, there are thirty-four (34) agencies in the Pilot. The goals of the Missouri pilot project are to:

• Determine if the CDS web-based training and on-site mentoring system is an efficient, economical and effective means of training staff who support persons with developmental disabilities in the community and
• Determine if the MoCDS training/credentialing project will provide a competently trained direct care workforce available to support people in the community and reduce direct support professional turnover in Missouri.

Training in Interdisciplinary Partnerships and Services (TIPS)

TIPS for Kids is the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training program in Missouri. The LEND program provides intensive training for advanced graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the field of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

2007 Creating Options: Financial Aid Information

HEATH's annual revision of this popular resource guide is now available. The 2007 edition contains completely updated and revised information to help individuals with disabilities to seek and obtain financial assistance for postsecondary education. The guide describes federal financial aid programs, state vocational rehabilitation services, and regional and local sources. A listing of nationally awarded grants and a pre-college checklist to organize the search for funds complete the guide.

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