JCFS Chicago

JCFS Chicago provides integrative counseling services and psychological testing to understand learning differences and cognitive, emotional, and other mental health disorders. Their expert therapists offer guidance to help children, teens, and adults find solutions to the challenges they face. With services infused with Jewish values and compassion, JCFS Chicago works to make the community inclusive and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

The JCFS family of services includes:
-therapeutic day school, speech-language, occupational therapy, psychological testing and evaluation, and behavioral assessments and interventions for children and young adults;
-individual and family counseling, support groups, marriage counseling, career services, and training;
-community-based group living, support, and assistance for independent living, customized employment, and job training for people with disabilities and their families;
-immigration, citizenship, and refugee resettlement services;
-clinical support for children and families in the child welfare system;
-and Jewish community programs, such as addiction services, abuse prevention, spiritual support, and connections to JCFS services through community partnerships.

Udemy

Udemy is committed to improving lives through learning. Whether you want to learn a new skill, train your teams, or share your knowledge with the world, you’re in the right place. As a leader in online learning, Udemy strives to help you achieve your goals and transform your life.

Udemy offers courses from critical workplace skills to technical topics, plus prep content for over 200 industry-recognized certifications. The Udemy catalog supports well-rounded professional development and spans multiple languages. Many free courses on various topics are available, including wellness, personal development, office productivity, and more.

Udemy is available for personal use through enterprise access. Enjoy a free trial or request a demonstration. Parenting-focused courses are available under Personal Development. In the Business category, HR professionals can benefit from options on recruiting, talent management, DEI, interviewing skills, and more. Development teams can benefit from sessions on marketing strategies, storytelling, and social media. Take courses on AI and ChatGPT. Choose courses taught by real-world experts and learn at your own pace, with lifetime access on mobile and desktop.

National Wellness Institute

The National Wellness Institute (NWI) is the leader in providing professional development and engagement opportunities that support individuals from various disciplines in promoting whole-person wellness. In addition to certificate programs, NWI offers live and on-demand webinars, events, & eLearning courses.

Some of NWI’s current certificate programs include:
Worksite Wellness Specialist
Mastering Workplace Wellness Laws
Financial Wellness Facilitator
Health and Wellness Certificate Program
Become a Change Agent

The National Wellness Institute is joining the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) to create the Wellness Alliance. Learn more on the website above!

Find Food IL

Find Food IL is a community food map that shows places in your community that offer free food or meals. Use the map to find local food pantries, stores and markets that accept SNAP/LINK or WIC coupons, school and summer meal sites, older adult resources, farmers markets, and more.

This easy-to-use map lets you search by your town or zip code, use the filter to narrow your search, or print the list of resources.

The Find Food IL Community Food Map is part of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children: https://dscc.uic.edu/dscc_resource/find-food-il-community-food-map/.

Pathways

Pathways offers educational resources for parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to support the growth and development of children. Their mission is to provide free tools to maximize all children’s motor, sensory, and communication development. They empower parents to understand and encourage their baby’s development to keep them on track or catch potential delays early.

Pathways provides free parenting videos on its website and app to show parents exactly what to expect. They also offer on-demand courses, webinars, and more to help keep children on track and catch potential delays early. Brochures and milestone checklists are available for free in many languages, and their free baby milestones app helps parents monitor baby’s progress.

Peter Leidy

Peter Leidy conducts workshops, develops training materials, writes songs, speaks and sings at conferences, and works with organizations, government agencies, families, and paid supporters to promote positive support, inclusion, building healthy relationships, and thinking differently about people who are called “challenging.” He focuses on personalizing support and community membership for people with disabilities. He’s been learning from people with disabilities since 1983.

Peter offers consulting for individuals, teams, families, and DSPs. He trains as both a conference speaker and workshop facilitator on a variety of topics:

– Designing person-centered supports
– Supported Living Workshop description
– Recruiting and supporting staff
– Staff retention
– Staff appreciation events
– Motivating direct support staff
– Organizational development
– Values training
– Developing/building community relationships
– Crisis prevention training
– Power and control
– Songs from Human Serviceland

IntellectAbility

IntellectAbility helps agencies and supporters to better assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). IntellectAbility provides information and support for the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST), a web-based tool that identifies health risks and provides actionable steps to mitigate those risks. Supporters can work proactively, utilizing decisions based on 22 crucial risk areas. The HRST is the most widely used and validated health risk screening tool for those with I/DD.

In addition, IntellectAbility offers a library of training focusing on the health and safety of people with I/DD, including resources for those supporting people with I/DD. The library includes e-learning courses, webinars, and materials for in-depth courses on relevant topics such as the Fatal Five, nutrition, and person-centered planning.

Tarrytown

Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy is a long-term care pharmacy specializing in serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They aim to provide high-quality pharmacy services for IDD and behavioral health communities through innovative and compassionate pharmacy services. Tarrytown is dedicated to partnering with caregivers, direct support professionals, nurses, and the broader community to reduce stress, save time, and promote consistent, high-quality care for individuals in group home settings and beyond.

In addition to Tarrytown’s streamlined medication management, prescription delivery system, and customer service, they work with your team to stay current on community news and industry updates.

Explore Tarrytown’s upcoming education and event opportunities list at the Events tab. Webinars and in-person events are available at no cost, with CEUs included. See each event for details, including regarding QIDP and nursing CEUs.

Council on Quality and Leadership

Since 1969, the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to define, measure, and improve the quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with I/DD or psychiatric disabilities. CQL believes that investing in the professional development of employees builds internal expertise that has a direct impact on people receiving supports, in very practical ways. They offer numerous workshops, trainings, and other events – both in-person and virtual – where attendees receive in-depth information about a wide range of topics to transform services. Their training options focus on equipping staff and organizations with tools to deliver the highest quality of services possible. Staff development is a clear statement that people matter, employees are important, and the quality of supports being provided make a difference.

Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission

The Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission protects the rights and promotes the welfare of persons with disabilities. The Commission is an executive state agency created to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities. By providing legal representation, investigating complaints of rights violations, and providing state guardianship for Illinois’ population with disabilities, the Commission has given voice to those who have previously gone unheard.

Visit the website above for contact information and guardianship-focused details related to the Office of State Guardian (such as guardianship training and OSG forms), the Human Rights Authority (guardianship fact sheet, sexual education, and sexual rights), the Legal Advocacy Service (clients facing judicial proceedings, advanced directive forms), and the Special Education Initiative (SPED FAQs, supported decision-making).