The National Institute of Intellectual Disability Studies Promotes Life-Enhancing Care With Rise 360

The Challenge

NIIDS needed a scalable way to convey complex, reflective, and engaging content

Online learning is an integral element of the Institute’s approach. Their library of roughly 700 courses includes both broad topics—like essential workplace skills—along with more specialized lessons to address the needs of a diverse array of individuals with disabilities. 

To meet the growing needs for educational content, the organization needed a way to sustainably and efficiently scale their e-learning materials. But volume wasn’t the only challenge the Institute faced. 

“We help organizations reflect on key questions about their approach and the individuals they serve,” says McGinn. “What elements of support have they already achieved? What are the gaps in their knowledge? We help them understand what people need in ways that are life-enhancing—that recognize the complexities of an intellectual disability while promoting autonomy.” 

As they scaled, the Institute needed to maintain the highly tailored training they’re known for—an approach that allows organizations to reevaluate how they can best serve individuals with disabilities.

The Answer

With Rise 360, the Institute created 25 e-learning courses in just 14 months

To tackle the challenge, the Institute used Rise 360 as their authoring app within the Articulate 360 platform to create engaging courses with assessments, interactive elements, embedded documents, and resources on ethics, changing laws, and more. In just over a year, McGinn single-handedly launched 25 courses with Rise 360’s intuitive user interface. 

Each lesson and course ties back to the Institute’s signature competency framework so the content supports all levels of an organization. This has allowed the Institute to create courses that cover complex topics, such as relationships and sexuality. Interactive scenarios in each course help illustrate the topic’s nuances helping learners examine their own attitudes and beliefs. 

For example, the Institute’s course on reducing the use of restrictive practice includes a detailed practice scenario about an individual with a complex intellectual disability. Lesson discussion points deepen the learner’s understanding and give them tools to empower that individual with both independence and support. 

“With Articulate 360, we can visualize the progression of a course so clearly,” says McGinn. “It’s easy to sequence complex material and create interactions that keep learners engaged—and to do so in an aesthetically pleasing way.”

Articulate strengthens our messaging. It’s allowed us to incorporate a reflective dimension into our programs that challenges organizations’ thinking around how they can best support individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Martha McGinn, Company Director, National Institute of Intellectual Disability Studies

Unlocking Human Potential

Through e-learning, NIIDS removes structural barriers for individuals with disabilities

Feedback for the Institute’s Rise 360 courses has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly for  their more complex courses. McGinn says that Rise 360’s assessment and interactivity capabilities have been key to this, as they allow the Institute to guide organizations through a highly self-reflective education process.

“[Articulate has] allowed us to incorporate a reflective dimension to our programs that challenges organizations’ thinking around how they can best support individuals with intellectual disabilities,” says McGinn. This better prepares every level of an organization with the knowledge and strategies to empower people with disabilities—and to do so with empathy and compassion at every turn.

“Not only do the staff need to feel comfortable providing that support,” says McGinn, “the organization’s policies need to provide excellent guidance for those staff members.” Ultimately, this multifaceted approach to e-learning centers the person with the disability, leading to life-enhancing changes not only for individuals, but also for the organizations who support them.

With Rise 360, the National Institute of Intellectual Disability Studies empowers employees with the tools and resources they need to support individuals with disabilities.