Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service

Community-Integrated Personal Assistance Services and Supports (C-PASS) was a three-year project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS). The purpose of this project was to develop an infrastructure to promote the effective recruitment and retention of personal assistants. This project helped people with disabilities in Connecticut gain the knowledge, access, and resources necessary to hire and manage personal assistants. In addition, this project created a curriculum and a support system for employers of personal assistants in Connecticut.

• Developed a comprehensive curriculum for employers of personal assistants covering many topics related to recruitment and retention. A training program was also created for experienced employers to teach the curriculum to other less experienced employers.
• Conducted train-the-trainer sessions with self-advocates from the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services, then Department of Mental Retardation. The self-advocates then trained other individuals with intellectual disabilities and families to hire and manage their own personal assistants.
• Evaluated the curriculum.
• Developed a series of fact sheets for personal assistants to inform them about the various aspects of the job. The fact sheets covered a wide spectrum of topics from preparing for an emergency to communication between an employer and their employees.

• Module 1
• Module 2
• Module 3
• Module 4
• Module 5
• Module 6
• Module 7