How our training modules are developed

Since 2019, one of DSl’s key programs has been focused on building a series of training modules to share with our partners in Cambodia and beyond. These modules help to equip local disability leaders and teachers with the knowledge, resources, and support they need to continue growing as disability professionals, while also preparing them to share what they’ve learned with teachers and families in their communities. We call this our Train the Trainer (TOT) model.

DSI established an Advisory Working Group dedicated to crafting, testing, and growing the modules and TOT approach. Skilled volunteers, with disability and international development expertise, met regularly to ensure accurate and culturally-aware modules that would help teachers feel increasingly more confident to include children with disabilities in their classrooms and to teach them.

It is unfortunately common for some international aid programs to ignore local needs and community voices, but DSI’s module approach was never intended to be a “one size fits all” prescription. The modules use or adapt local materials when available, and DSI works closely with community partners to understand the current practices that address the needs of students with disabilities.

Similarly, DSI takes local needs into consideration when planning trainings: for example, is the training taking place in an area with fast internet where we can present slides, or should we plan on paper resources? Are attendees all fluent in English, or do we need to allow time for translation and budget for an interpreter? If we are printing materials in-country, will these slides look good printed in black and white instead of color? While these questions might seem basic, they are key to ensuring a thoughtful and culturally competent training.

Since the Train the Trainer model relies on cohorts of participants to first learn and then share the material with the next group, DSI’s Disability Training Modules keep the needs of the trainer, as well as the trainee, as a top priority. Each module includes multiple parts, including a trainer’s guide for the Master Trainer, presentation slides that are available electronically or on paper, and a quick-reference set of toolkit resources for trainers and trainees, so they can share what they’ve learned and reach even more people.

Once the modules are ready, DSI works with local partners to coordinate the kickoff training. Over an intensive 3-day training session, DSI Trainers go through the module with a group of trainees (who will become Master Trainers upon completion of the workshops). While the training only lasts a couple days, the collaboration before and after training sessions ensures that trainees are supported throughout their entire TOT journey.

DSI Master Trainer cohort at the end of our Master Trainer pilot training on our first module 'Helping Children with Disabilities Learn' in 2021 (shortly after COVID restrictions began subsiding)!

With 3 modules already built and shared with our partners in Cambodia, DSI’s reach grows exponentially with each training that is held. Since 2021, we have reached over 1,700 Cambodian trainees and counting! So far, modules have focused on Helping Children with Disabilities to Learn, Understanding and Addressing Behavior, and Communication Strategies, and more are planned.

Read more about our modules in action here in other blog posts, including this 'Reflections from the Field' post.

You can help us build the next module and continue to reach more partners and trainees ready and waiting by sponsoring a training. Learn about specific training projects and how you can support this program work today!

Learn more