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About this Course    

CHOICES is a rights-centered e-learning course about what real choice, autonomy, and inclusion look like in everyday disability support. At the heart of this series is a guiding idea: support work is relationship work. Attachment theory (Bowlby/Ainsworth) shows that consistent, responsive care builds a “secure base” for well-being and healthy relationships across life. That’s why this course puts relationship quality in the caregiver role at the center — because rights aren’t just written in policies, they’re lived through everyday interactions.

Grounded in disability justice and the HCBS Final Rule, CHOICES gives practical tools for building safer, respectful, connected support. You’ll learn how to use plain language, practice everyday consent, honor boundaries, offer support from choice culture instead of compliance culture, co-create agreements, and care for yourself so you can stay present in the role. The goal of CHOICES is to help people lead their own lives with dignity, voice, and belonging — supported through relationships that honor and strengthen those rights every day.

Who Should Take This Course

CHOICES is for anyone who supports people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) or neurodivergence — including direct support professionals, family caregivers, disabled caregivers, and agency leaders. This includes:

• Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in residential homes, SLS, FHA, supported living, crisis homes, or day programs

• IHSS workers, respite workers, paraprofessionals, aides, and personal assistants

• Social workers, service coordinators, case managers, and independent facilitators

• Therapists, clinicians, and coaches working with disabled people in HCBS settings

• Program supervisors, leads, and managers

• Executive Directors and agency leaders 

• Parents, family members, and other loved ones providing caregiving and support

• Disabled caregivers and peer supporters who support others in homes, programs, or community settings

• Anyone helping with daily life, relationships, communication access, safety, or community inclusion

Objectives

By the end of CHOICES, participants will be able to:

1. Explain disability rights and the HCBS Final Rule in plain language so people can make informed choices.

2. Recognize ableism and practice using respectful language, avoiding “othering,” and centering disabled voices and leadership.

3. Use the Yes/No Scale to support choice by identifying “yes,” “no,” and choices in between, for diverse learning and communication styles.

4. Practice consent with accountability by asking permission, clarifying meaning and noticing power dynamics.

5. Strengthen communication access through active listening and by matching communication to each person’s receptive language and methods.

6. Co-create agreements with people to build shared expectations that support rights, safety, dignity, and voice.

7. Honor boundaries and actively reduce compliance culture by reframing reactions as communication and supporting autonomy in real moments, including when conservatorships are involved.

8. Use provider boundaries and care choices to sustain healthy support through thoughtful disclosures and responding early to stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

Registration & Fees

The eLearning course is free of charge. 

Continuing Education

Golden Gate Regional Center Service Providers may earn 4.5 CEUs for completing CHOICES e-learning course. 

It is required to complete all 8 Modules, Post-Assessment, and course evaluation to be eligible for the units. Your registration information will be sent to GGRC upon completion for their approval and administration of the CEUs. 

Funding

The development of CHOICES eLearning course was funded by California’s Golden Gate Regional Center as a part of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) initiatives.