December 2023
Historically, providing high-quality activities has been a priority for organizations, a task often difficult to achieve. Now more than ever, “meaningful days filled with intentional activities” are essential to quality services and, frankly, quality of life. We found other curricula out there are either too expensive, designed for children and not respectful of our folks’ age and life experiences, not adaptable to individuals who need different or more intensive support, or too academic for our folks with I/DD, ASD, and dementia.
Originally, Intersect for Ability envisioned creating a product resembling a collection of shared files. The pandemic hit as our collaboration launched, the perfect motivation for creating a product in a more accessible and usable format. We created an online curriculum database of activities that are applicable to everyone we support and in all settings. The Current stands for curriculum for recreation, employment, new skills, and technology.
Each of our over 850 Activities follows the same basic building blocks and is customized for each unique topic. All Activities have been written by people experienced in working with folks with I/DD and in activity development and curriculum planning. In addition, all Activities have been reviewed and approved by an Editor with similar experience to ensure they all meet the expectations set in our Philosophy: all Activities should have meaning and purpose; Activities should teach or practice at least one skill; Activities should be fun, enjoyable, or bring joy. An essential part of our philosophy is that all participation is participation. Any participation is still participation. We focus on signs of participation and enjoyment, as well as how to adapt and modify – two aspects included in every Activity! Tying the skills learned into community experience and everyday application is another vital component of every Activity.
Teaching facilitation skills is a critical aspect of The Current. Monthly training opportunities are available for new and seasoned users, with sessions focusing on topics relevant to the I/DD community: making choices, community engagement, vocational skills, and so much more. We call these sessions FLOAT: facilitate, learn, and organize activities together. The database also includes curated lists of Activities that pair well together, called Streams. The Streams are an excellent resource for those who create the program schedule.
To learn more about The Current, please see The Current Information Flyer. To reach out to The Current’s admin team or to find out about the next Info Session or membership rates, fill out The Current Interest Form. If you have questions at any time, reach out to editorsthecurrent@gmail.com.
KnowledgeOwl, the knowledge management platform that hosts The Current, was intrigued by the unique way we share resources across organizations. KnowledgeOwl chose Intersect for Ability as their first customer to showcase in a series of Custom Spotlight Articles. You can read about it here –> https://www.knowledgeowl.com/home/customer-spotlight