Natural supports can come from family, friends, work, community, or other areas. These supports can be instrumental in helping a person to assimilate into the community or workforce and can improve chances for success and fulfillment. This course will look at the benefits that natural supports can bring to individuals on the job and at home. Case studies will illustrate examples of natural supports in action in the community and the workplace.

The objectives of the course are:

To define and explain the concept of natural supports.

To explore different ways of generating and developing support.

To consider factors such as natural cues, circles of support, and optimal communities.

To provide working examples of natural supports and their results.

To understand the issue of stigma and the need for acceptance.

To provide effective methods for creating and cultivating natural supports at work.

To gain knowledge of natural supports in the realms of friendship and sexuality.