National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Services and Programs
Leadership Institutes
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities’ signature development program is the Leadership Institute. Created in 2006, the Leadership Institutes support current and emerging leaders to gain knowledge, skills, resources, and values that promote sustainable and effective organizational practices and services that are responsive to people with disabilities. Utilizing best practice in adult learning, Leadership Institutes incorporate a mix of lecture, discussion, interactive activities, personal assessments, and skill-building sessions. Participants learn from national experts (many of which are alumni of the Institutes) who have hands-on experience in best practices in organizational leadership, sustainability and transformation, and service delivery for people with disabilities. While all Leadership Institutes are based on a core curriculum, they can be tailored to meet the specific needs, interests, and issues that attendees face and can be run in person or virtually. To date, the NLCDD has facilitated ninety Leadership Institutes across the United States, worldwide, and virtually.
Targeted Leadership Training and Development
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities provides targeted leadership development, training, and support to disability service sector leaders representing a range of management and leadership roles and positions. These programs are created and delivered to meet the specific developmental needs of leaders in various stages of their careers and leadership roles. Targeted Leadership and Development trainings are entirely comprised of experiential exercises, activities, assessments, and small and large group discussions.
Organizational Technical Assistance and Support
The NLCDD offers technical assistance and support to organizations that are working to change their services and practices. In general, this type of support is sought out by organizations that are transforming from congregate service models to individualized supports. Technical assistance efforts are tailored to the specific needs of an organization in whatever stage of transformation it is in and always include connections to field leaders who have spearheaded similar transformations in their own organizations.
Research and Evaluation
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities is growing a research and evaluation branch to expand both our internal and external evaluation efforts and research projects. Starting in 2008, the National Leadership Consortium has conducted an internal evaluation of the impact of NLCDD’s programs and has conducted a longitudinal research study to understand the skills, career trajectories, and perspectives of disability service sector leaders. In the last several years, NLCDD’s team has also conducted local and national research studies on topics that advance the knowledge and work of disability service sector leaders.
Online Community of Practice
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities has developed an online Community of Practice that offers the NLCDD network a platform to ask and answer questions and collaborate around topics and shared issues. It also serves as a resource hub for leaders to access research, evidence-based practices, organizational documents such as policy manuals and job descriptions, and up-to-date information about federal and state regulations and trends in the disability service sector.
To learn more about the Leadership Institute, e-mail Kristen Loomis at kloomis@natleadership.org.