February 27, 2025 By Caleb Wessels, Interdisciplinary Trainee Experiencing Disability Awareness Day Earlier this month, I traveled to Boise with four fellow student trainees to attend Fred Rigger’s Disability Awareness Day. We also visited the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, met with the staff members at the Idaho Competitive Integrated Employment Center, and visited Boise State University’s PEERS program. Keep reading for an overview of my experiences in Boise, and how what I learned will help my future career in education. Southwest Idaho Treatment Center 400 acres in central Meridian – within earshot of the buzz of Highway 84 – is home to the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC). This facility provides a temporary home for residents with a dual diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) and mental health disorder (MHD). 18 people currently reside at SWITC – the only place in Idaho that provides evidence-based treatment for such individuals. We entered a central, columned building called White Hall and were greeted by head staff. Geoff Putman (Program Director), Jamie Newton (Administrative Director) and Blayr Thomspon (Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor) acted as our guides for the day. Not only did they show us around the facility, but they also spoke with us about the treatment model they use called START – Systematic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources and Treatment. START is part of a nationwide effort to treat people with dual IDD and MHD diagnoses. We spoke with Geoff, Jamie and Blayr about how the model is applied at SWITC. Treatment is flexible and emphasizes patient autonomy. Staff members work with patients to determine the best treatments for them. The goal is to help residents minimize their stay at the facility. The focus on autonomy and agency is something I’ve seen a lot in the elementary schools I’ve worked in as part of my degree. It was helpful to see it also applied here. The idea being that people work harder and better when they feel they have a personal stake in their treatment and education. Allowing opportunities for decisions, even small ones, helps provide agency and improves both treatment and educational outcomes. As an example, the administration set up a mock coffee shop called ‘The Jitterbug Café’. One resident runs the coffee stand independently, taking orders from other residents as well as guests who come to visit. This element of treatment offers a unique and fun environment while helping residents build relevant skills that can be applied outside of the center. They can learn, practice and master skills that help them integrate with their local communities. Towards the end of our tour, we walked the grounds and got to see the gymnasium. Physical health is an important aspect of mental health and their equipment reflects this. Like everything at SWITC, the recreation center combines fun with work, which, I found out, can be applied in any work or learning setting. It’s all about engaging people in meaningful work while making it enjoyable. It helps people to be more receptive to treatment and education, while empowering them to make decisions about their own bodies and lives. Idaho Competitive Integrated Employment Our next stop was the CDHD office in downtown Boise. We met with the group of people behind our newest project, the Idaho Competitive Integrated Employment Center (ICIE). We met with Associate Director Carol Carnahan and the Transition Coordinators for North, Southwest and Southeast Idaho – Angee Murillo, Cristine Kruse and Jennifer Comstock. They spent time taking us through ICIE and how they work to achieve the project’s goals. ICIE launched in 2024 and has been working with schools throughout Idaho to provide post-secondary career education opportunities for students with disabilities across the state. This program is unique in that it begins work with students as young as 10. This surprised me! Traditionally, working with students with disabilities on vocational skills begins late into high school. Starting at a young age allows students to explore many things that interest them and learn pathways to getting involved in these industries. This was vital for me to learn as an elementary school educator. It allowed me to understand that I can help connect students to resources like ICIE and provide opportunities for them to explore vocational opportunities at young ages to provide more time for exploration. That work is not something that has to be reserved for older students exclusively. After hearing about the work ICIE does with youth across the state, we were lucky enough to get an assistive technology (AT) demonstration from Jeff Mason, ICIE Assistive Technology Specialist. He laid out many toys and tools. Among them was a nerf gun operated by a button switch, a pen that reads text aloud, and many keyboards with covers or large buttons. He also showed us that AT does not have to be complex. It can be as simple as a pencil grip. I learned that AT can be almost anything if it helps people overcome a barrier. It also exposed me to the variety of AT available for anyone who needs it. AT is an incredibly helpful and necessary thing in the lives of so many people with disabilities. It’s good to know that I can help my students by referring them to these AT lending libraries to find the AT they need to thrive. PEERS Program Next up, we visited Jeremy Ford in a quiet and cozy office on the third floor of Boise State University’s Teacher Education Building. Ford is the director of the Boise State University PEERS program. PEERS stands for Providing Exceptional Education and Raising Standards and is a program like our own Vandal QUEST. It provides the opportunity for college age students with disabilities to attend university courses for credit, become integrated in the larger student body, and experience the highlights of college life. We were able to talk to one of the students who was in the office when we arrived. He shared his passion for Environmental Science and how he’s empowered to learn more about the environment because of the classes he takes. He also talked about some of the friends he’s made on campus, and how he enjoys participating in university events like football games. Experiences like these are exactly what the PEERS program is for. These experiences can be life-changing for students. This idea can be transferred to all schools, including K-12 education. Seeing the positive impact that PEERS had on the students we spoke to made me want to advocate for and participate in the integration of special education students into the general education classroom. The benefits for the students are apparent. It’s something I want to try in my own classroom. Disability Awareness Day and House Bill 93 Hearing Early Wednesday morning, our group arrived at the Boise Capitol Building for the Fred Rigger’s Disability Awareness Day (DAD) event. We entered the Rotunda to see many different tables being set up all around the bottom floor. The CDHD had their own booth, but we saw many others from organizations like Our Care Can’t Wait, Disability Action Center (DAC), and the Idaho Caregiver Alliance. Our group had the option of seeing the hearing. We were able to choose between one on ABLE accounts or House Bill 93, School Choice. We chose to sit in on House Bill 93 hearing. It was fascinating to see a hearing in its entirety in person. The audience was packed. There were no empty seats. The people of Idaho were very interested in the outcome of this hearing, and they had things to say. The session began with a reading of the major points of the bill by the sponsor, with questioning by the committee. They asked about various aspects of the bill. The one that surprised me most was how concerned the legislature was about the potential burden put on the tax committee to administer tax credits to parents across the state. This was a perspective on this issue I never would have gained without listening directly to the legislature and their questions. Next was the public testimony section of the hearing. The people who spoke were passionate about both sides of the issue. We heard stories from parents, teachers and concerned community members about the ramifications for their communities. The stories were touching and heartfelt, and it was important to see how issues in the legislature impact individuals and families across the state. This reminded me of my work in college related to social studies in K-12 schools. Teaching students to be citizens means much more than simply voting. It can mean a variety of things – community service, participating in local events, or just being kind to your neighbors and residents. Watching all these testimonies from community members made me start thinking about ways I can get my future students to be engaged citizens. After this informative legislative session, we moved back to the rotunda and connected with the people at the tables. I talked with DAC about independent living and guardianship rights. I discussed caregiver rights with the Idaho Caregiver Alliance. Finally, I learned more about the Direct Care Workforce from Our Care Can’t Wait. During our time at DAD, there were two protests happening in the building and out front. They were accidentally coordinated with the event we attended, but it was an incredible display of the democratic process. Seeing so many people advocating for issues they believed in added to the event in my opinion. It was inspiring to see all these groups here in force, making their voices heard. That’s what matters most about being involved, and what my biggest takeaway from this was. Nothing will change if you don’t get out there and share your story on issues that matter to you.