The CAAC consists of a team of professionals with different backgrounds who work collaboratively with national and international partners to promote issues surrounding disabilities and communication. We believe that effective teamwork is a requisite for quality and productivity in the workplace. The CAAC team consists of therapists, special needs educators and people with disabilities themselves who bring to the table varied experiences and expertise.

Orientation to team training

An initial stage of training focuses on the culture of team work to ensure that participants understand their own biases and values as points of departure in team work. The importance of emotional resonance as part of the team processes is emphasized. Training assists participants in determining their own identity, goals and monitoring processes to ensure that they achieve what they set out to do. The development of support structures and empowerment of individual team members as part of the process is emphasized.

Training methodology

Training methodology is highly interactive and it is preferred that all the team members attend workshops to ensure that the team collaboratively benefit from the training. Training can be conducted at the CAAC or on the company premises, depending on the specific arrangement. Training methodology is problem-based and case studies are used as a basis for creative problem-solving.

Workshops generally last a minimum of 3 days, but it depends on the specific needs of the corporate context. It is preferred to include some follow-up visits in the workplace after the initial training to facilitate application and creative problem-solving of what was taught to the work context.

Training content

The content of training can vary depending on the needs, but generally would include:

• Integrating team work within the corporate context: team dynamics and individual promotion/acknowledgement.
• Team strategy: vision, values and goals.
• Facilitating team functioning.
• Different kinds of teams and roles of team members.
• Inclusion of diversity in teams: accommodating different strengths and weaknesses within teams.
• Problem solving issues relating to the inclusion of people with disabilities in teams.
• Assistive technology for better communication and team interactions (focused on people with severe disabilities).
• Coping with conflict and changes.
• Managing teams