Faculty members receive award for training program involving agents in the Department of Natural Resources
Lisa Schoenbrodt, Ed.D., professor of speech-language-hearing sciences, and Leah Katherine Saal, Ph.D., associate professor of literacy and co-director of the literacy program, have been awarded more than $9,500 to offer trainings. The grant from the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD)/Ethan Saylor Alliance will provide training for agents in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Maryland and Law Enforcement with Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) Municipal Police Academy. Self-Advocate Educators (SAEs) will serve as co-trainers in the content and scenario-based trainings.
“This training is important because DNR agents are often called to find people when they go missing in or near parks, natural areas, forested areas, or around bodies of water,” said Schoenbrodt. “As a result, DNR agents in Maryland are often interacting with children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disabilities or mental disabilities who go missing. Therefore, this training is beneficial for all DNR officers, and we look forward to expanding this training.”
This is the fifth award Schoenbrodt and Saal have received for the LEAD Model, which works to recruit, hire, train, and supervise individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These individuals serve as self-advocate educators (SAEs) alongside law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS/EMT trainers throughout the State of Maryland.
Loyola’s new Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education will support initiatives involving the LEAD Model this spring and fall.
“Loyola’s new Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education will support initiatives involving the LEAD Model this fall,” said Qi Shi, Ph.D., associate professor of school counseling and incoming director of the Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education. “Schoenbrodt and Saal’s project closely aligns with the new Center’s mission and vision in advancing human rights and justice in education by supporting individuals with disabilities to serve as leaders and self-advocate educators/trainers.”
The training from this grant will be completed in hybrid format. Training for self-advocate educators will take place online, while training for law enforcement and DNR officers will take place in person.
More about Loyola’s LEAD Model
Schoenbrodt and Saal created the LEAD Model in 2016.
The LEAD Model is a three-pronged program model that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) to serve as leaders and self-advocate educators/trainers. Each training consists of both content delivery (existing or created) and scenario-based application of content in either face-to-face or online environments.