# Toolkit Home
Are you looking to improve meaningful community life engagement for the people you support? Our Community Life Engagement Toolkit can help service providers develop and improve high-quality supports for community life engagement (CLE). ### What is community life engagement and why is it important to consider? * [Engage Brief 1: Introduction To Community Life Engagement](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FZGrg6LLcmHQAmI52hW3M%2FEngage_ECLE_issue1_update_D1_R.pdf?alt=media\&token=1b60714f-41df-4341-98b9-fc2ee93978d4) * [Easy Read Brief: What is Community Life Engagement?](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FSEFsksPBPtxZojAukB1Q%2FCLE_engage1_plainlanguage_2024_R.pdf?alt=media\&token=a9f43130-b0a8-40d7-85cd-6072a34adaef) ### **Get started with CLE by exploring these resources:** * The [CLE Fidelity Scale](/fidelity-scale), a tool for providers to assess how their agency’s day services align with the four guideposts of CLE. If you're new to CLE, [this is a great place to start!](/fidelity-scale) * [CLE Engage Briefs](/resources/engage-briefs) and [Service Provider Promising Practices](/resources/service-provider-promising-practices): real-world examples of service providers making CLE happen * [CLE data and findings from national public data sources](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FQrtUFR9X2b0Bz1qHq7B9%2FECLE_engage_2.pdf?alt=media\&token=53ccbe50-99b5-440b-9f41-6ac713dc3d3f) * An [introduction to the four research-based CLE Guideposts](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FHcVObflflajjvxiMeszj%2FECLE_engage_3.pdf?alt=media\&token=cd4bad68-4ae1-4445-804e-08079b40c759) that provide the framework for this toolkit * CLE Guideposts ([One](/guidepost-1-individualize-supports), [Two](/guidepost-2-promote-community-membership), [Three](/guidepost-3-develop-relationships-and-build-skills-to-decrease-reliance-on-paid-supports), [Four](/guidepost-4-provide-outcome-oriented-and-regularly-monitored-supports)): research-based principles to guide your services and supports
Lessons for Direct Support Staff. Our self-paced training can help your staff build skills and feel confident as direct support professionals working in the community. Purchase our course & learn more!/pages/0jcoGlakY461adtR5lbZ/files/lmJE69jiQFJLK67yQ9id
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# Fidelity Scale The CLE Fidelity Scale is an interactive, online self-assessment tool that can help providers reflect on their agency’s policies and practices and assess how their day services align with the four guideposts of CLE. It takes just 5 minutes to complete!
Online interactive CLE Fidelity Scale./files/4FjlD5lMdB5B6rTF5urkhttps://umassboston.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57SrWPXmE3pijyu
Printable PDF CLE Fidelity Scale./files/35WZ52lhayGGiMtFEQZMhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2F6J46KAFkH0fo2PbXOJpY%2FECLE_guidepost_assessment_2024_F.pdf?alt=media&token=6e5f0b2a-a297-49b7-a0de-a901ae0c66c3
[Learn about the research behind this tool.](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FqErTpYvk3KevPfGyeBEg%2FECLE_engage_11.pdf?alt=media\&token=53a68e48-bc44-4204-a5d6-e80e2b043749) # Guidepost 1: Individualize Supports
Community Life Engagement supports should be tailored to the interests and needs of each unique person. Individualization of supports:
Starts with understanding personal preferences, goals, interests, and skills. Ideally, you would begin individualizing CLE supports as soon as you meet the person you are working with. You might start by sitting down with the person (and often their family) to better understand who they are, their likes and dislikes, and their visions and plans for themselves. This is an opportunity to listen and talk about how you can best support them. Individualizing supports should help ensure the person chooses situations for themselves where they can feel comfortable and thrive. It’s also important to remember that individual preferences, interests, and skills change and evolve over time, so you may need to keep asking, observing, and evolving the individual’s activities and supports.
Emphasizes person-centered planning and discovery. Person-centered planning, discovery, and other formal or informal planning processes help develop the person’s goals and interests into activities that will eventually comprise daily and weekly schedules while still maintaining their personal choices.
Requires creative staffing, intentional grouping, and at times, generating additional funding. It is common for CLE providers to have limited resources. Your agency can address these limitations through creative approaches to grouping and scheduling individuals, re-defining staff roles, and finding and using funding. Some sites intentionally match a specific staff member to each individual to ensure familiarity, while others change up staffing to ensure people are able to pursue different interests with different small groups throughout the day or week. Purposefully grouping people based shared interests or friendships can allow some choice and individualization even without one-on-one support. Providers can also seek out creative revenue streams or ways of blending and braiding funding from multiple sources, such as Medicaid and vocational rehabilitation funds, to enhance capacity for individualized supports.
#### Here are some additional resources to learn about and help providers apply Guidepost 1: * [Guidepost 1: Individualize Supports for Each Person](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2F7NRAjLWd2ZR1VjXh7Qhj%2FECLE_engage_4.pdf?alt=media\&token=dd8e81f5-ddf2-4356-915d-1a2f4ee807c0): This brief describes the first guidepost and how service providers implement it based on expert interviews and case studies. *(ICI Engage Brief #4)* * [Avenues Staffing](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037\&context=thinkwork): This brief describes how Avenues Supported Living Services used an innovative staffing approach grounded in client relationships. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Flexible Scheduling and Creative Staffing: KFI’s Support Solutions](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038\&context=thinkwork): This promising practice demonstrates how KFI used a flexible approach to staffing and support scheduling to ensure customized daily support schedules that meet individual goals. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Person Centered Planning Tool: Charting the LifeCourse.](https://www.lifecoursetools.com/) Charting the LifeCourse was developed by the University of Missouri-Kansas City to help individuals and families envision a good life and the supports needed to achieve their vision. * [Person Centered Planning Tool: Positive Personal Profile.](https://employmentfirstma.org/files/PositivePersonalProfile_Transcen.pdf) Trancen, Inc. created this tool to “take inventory” of all the attributes of youth that will be relevant to their job search and career path. ***
Lessons for Direct Support Staff. Our self-paced training can help your staff build skills and feel confident as direct support professionals working in the community. Purchase our course & learn more!/files/lmJE69jiQFJLK67yQ9id/pages/0jcoGlakY461adtR5lbZ

Learn more about our partner project Community Life Engagement in Action!

Upcoming: The Community of Practice application will open in May and launch in September 2024.

/files/0YQf5jUBgtDqsGrfTrrVhttps://iod.unh.edu/community-life-engagement
# Guidepost 2: Promote Community Membership
Community Life Engagement supports should promote community membership and contribution. This requires:
Starting with inclusive settings and activities. Accessing inclusive opportunities often involves service providers partnering with other local organizations to identify community resources and generate new community-based options. Examples could include attending a local college or university, being involved in arts and theater organizations, belonging to a church community, or doing volunteer work. Engagement with local organizations is particularly important in rural areas where options are more limited and networks are closer-knit. Tapping into the social networks of individuals, their families, and support staff can also play an important role in identifying inclusive opportunities.
Ensuring staff presence does not limit connections with other community members. Another factor in increasing community connections is ensuring staff presence does not interfere with the development of relationships with community members. This may require retooling staff training so that it is aligned with new expectations and new settings, particularly if staff who were previously working in a segregated group service setting are shifting to a role of providing community-based supports. To ensure staff presence does not interfere with the creation of authentic community connections, staff members must maintain a mindset of being in a support role rather than a caregiver role or even a teacher role and be constantly aware of supporting people only to the extent that it is necessary.
Placing value on membership in the community. Community membership goes beyond simply *being* in community settings. Community membership is about active engagement. Community membership includes being known by people in one’s community, forming relationships, and contributing to the community through work, volunteer activities, or other community activities. Consistent involvement in community activities can lead to interactions and relationships with others, forming a sense of membership. Supporters can further emphasize developing relationships that enhance peoples’ quality of life, such as relationships with coworkers that extend beyond the workplace.
Considering the individual’s preferences, goals, and other activities. While community connections are important in general, service providers should avoid unilaterally pursuing active social engagement. Some people may prefer a less connected life, and that should be an option as long as it is an informed choice. People may already have community connections through other aspects of their life, such as employment, or they may not be comfortable with extensive social engagement. It is ultimately up to the individual.
#### Here are some additional resources to help providers apply Guidepost 2: * [Guidepost 2: Promote Community Membership. ](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FyNDkiik6Xj4iwhHrc3xZ%2FECLE_engage_5.pdf?alt=media\&token=716d123a-af5a-48bb-841b-e3223cac1e14)This brief describes the second guidepost and how service providers implement it based on expert interviews and case studies. *(ICI Engage Brief #5)* * [Promising Practice: Using Staff Networks to Build Community Connections at LOQW:](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040\&context=thinkwork) This promising practice describes how Learning Opportunities/Quality Works staff use their own longstanding relationships in a small town to build connections for people they support. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Fostering Belonging](https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/sites/encore/encore-access/fostering-belonging.html): In this presentation, Dr. Erik Carter describes how faith communities can more actively welcome and support people with disabilities. * [Putting Faith to Work](http://faithanddisability.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/PuttingFaithToWorkPaper9.pdf): This paper shares how faith communities have the opportunity and capacity to transform the lives of many people with disabilities by helping people find meaningful jobs, assume valued roles, and share their gifts. * [Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute](https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/Pages/default.aspx): This center explores how to use local assets, such as “the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions” to build stronger communities. * [Mapping Community Assets Workbook](https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/resources/Documents/DorfmanMappingCommunityAssetsWorkBook.pdf): This ABCD product is a hands-on workbook with questions and worksheets to guide individual and community asset mapping. * Inclusive Retirement: [This one-hour video](http://aaidd.org/education/education-archive/2017/03/29/default-calendar/transition-to-retirement-supporting-individuals-with-idd-in-australia-to-develop-an-active-and-socially-inclusive-retirement#.WeDJ8hOPIo8) describes a Transition to Retirement intervention developed in Australia to support inclusive retirement options for older adults with IDD.
Lessons for Direct Support Staff. Our self-paced training can help your staff build skills and feel confident as direct support professionals working in the community. Purchase our course & learn more!/files/lmJE69jiQFJLK67yQ9id/pages/0jcoGlakY461adtR5lbZ

Learn more about our partner project Community Life Engagement in Action!

Upcoming: The Community of Practice application will open in May and launch in September 2024.

/files/0YQf5jUBgtDqsGrfTrrVhttps://iod.unh.edu/community-life-engagement
# Guidepost 3: Develop Relationships & Build Skills to Decrease Reliance on Paid Supports
CLE activities should focus on:
Teaching specific skills to help people access their communities and employment, with the intention of fading supports. Support staff can help people build specific job and community engagement skills by *modeling*: directly teaching specific skills around daily living, community access and employment. Another strategy for skill-building is providing time-limited one-to-one supports to teach people new skills that would then allow them to participate in community activities with less ongoing support. This initial investment in skill building makes it easier to fade supports in the longer term. A third strategy is to provide peer-to-peer support, such as having a person with more mastery of a particular skill (such as riding the bus) teach or support someone who is still learning that skill.
Building individuals’ networks to expand their access to natural supports. As people make more connections in their communities, they can use the relationships they are building to create natural supports. Tapping into one’s social circle as a source of natural supports can then lead to a level of interdependence with others in the community that helps with the fading of formal, paid supports. For example, coworkers and fellow volunteers can provide on-the-job guidance on tasks, or a church member can give someone a ride to services.
#### Here are some additional resources to help providers apply Guidepost 3: * [Guidepost 3: Help People Build Relationships to Decrease Dependence on Paid Supports (Engage Brief 6).](http://www.thinkwork.org/sites/thinkwork.org/files/files/CLE_guidepost3_brief%206_F.pdf) This brief describes the third guidepost and how service providers are implementing it based on expert interviews and case studies. *(ICI Engage Brief #6)* * [Transcen’s Worklink Program: Helping Individuals Gain Work Skills through Targeted Volunteering and Other Community Life Engagement Activities:](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039\&context=thinkwork) This promising practice describes how TransCen’s Work Link program provides supports for both employment and CLE. Staff seek out volunteer work and other CLE activities that offer opportunities for people to gain employment skills. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Promising Practice: Fading Supports at SEEC:](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041\&context=thinkwork) Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community (SEEC) is a Maryland-based provider of employment, community living, and community development supports to people with IDD. This promising practice demonstrates how SEEC uses multiple strategies to decrease paid supports for CLE, including offering short-term intensive supports for skill building and intentionally building relationships for natural support. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities and Community Members](http://www.rtc.umn.edu/docs/Friends_Connecting_people_with_disabilities_and_community_members.pdf): This publication from the University of Minnesota provides ideas for how to support people with disabilities to increase community membership and belonging. * [Thinkwork Story: Natural Supports at Work](https://www.thinkwork.org/carrie-natural-supports-work): In this 6-minute video, Carrie, who works in the kitchen at a private school, has built relationships with her colleagues that have “enabled her to be successful at her job and form friendships that extend beyond the workday. {% hint style="info" %} #### We sometimes use two new terms in reference to this guidepost: *human capital* and *social capital.* Human capital refers to the specific skills an individual can bring to their job and to community experiences. Social capital means the individual’s network of relationships with other people and the value inherent in that network. {% endhint %}
Lessons for Direct Support Staff. Our self-paced training can help your staff build skills and feel confident as direct support professionals working in the community. Purchase our course & learn more!/files/lmJE69jiQFJLK67yQ9id/pages/0jcoGlakY461adtR5lbZ

Learn more about our partner project Community Life Engagement in Action!

Upcoming: The Community of Practice application will open in May and launch in September 2024.

/files/0YQf5jUBgtDqsGrfTrrVhttps://iod.unh.edu/community-life-engagement
# Guidepost 4: Provide Outcome-Oriented & Regularly Monitored Supports
Community Life Engagement providers should monitor their service outcomes to make sure they are providing effective CLE supports. This means that service providers should be:
Emphasizing goals rather than processes. It is important to keep the focus on individual goals and outcomes, including satisfaction, individualization, and connectedness to community, rather than on process measures, such as times and locations of activities. Detailed, descriptive, individual data can help providers more accurately measure goals and related outcomes.
Holding CLE supports to clear expectations and guidance. In addition to following state and federal requirements, service provider agencies should consider their own organizational values in developing their standards for quality of CLE supports. Agencies that have success in supporting CLE often start with a core belief that people with IDD can and should have opportunities to live, work, and play in the community in the same ways those without IDD do. Their supports are then designed around that belief.
Expecting CLE to lead to or complement employment. For working-age adults, CLE should be part of a whole-life vision that includes employment goals. Providers can use CLE activities to build networking opportunities or as a form of exploration to discover the person’s interests, strengths, and challenges. Volunteering gives people a chance to explore career options and gain employment-related skills. CLE can also wrap around employment, providing additional engagement opportunities, especially for those who work part-time.
Using data to guide continuous improvement. Providers should also use individual-level data to identify support gaps, guide training needs, and monitor quality. For example, shift logs, which illustrate the individual’s progress as well as intervention strategies, can become the basis of further training. Providers can use data to review the person’s progress toward their goals and to identify and address gaps in supports and areas for staff improvement. Providers can also use the data to identify effective strategies that worked well to implement again in the future.
#### Here are some additional resources to help providers apply Guidepost 4: * [Guidepost 4: Ensure that Supports are Outcome-Oriented and Regularly Monitored: ](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FAmrQievFEZgmJFvImZu4%2FECLE_engage_7.pdf?alt=media\&token=1bde5cdb-c5d2-45f5-81ea-bf0ddbce1d76)This brief describes the fourth guidepost and how service providers are implementing it based on expert interviews and case studies. *(ICI Engage Brief #7)* * [Braiding Community Employment and Life Engagement Services: TransCen’s WorkLink Program:](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043\&context=thinkwork) In this promising practice, TransCen, Inc. combines employment and day services funding to support holistic lives that include both employment and CLE. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Using Mobile Communication Technology at SEEC](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042\&context=thinkwork): Without a central facility, SEEC has used various technology, including cell phones, tablets, and laptops, to maintain communication between staff and management. [Read](https://www.thinkwork.org/aie/crp/seec-using-mobile-communication-technology) this promising practice to learn how this approach had an impact on providing services. *(ICI Service Provider Promising Practice)* * [Social Role Valorization](https://socialrolevalorization.com/): This is a set of ideas that can guide service providers to promote valued social roles for people with disabilities and all the benefits inherent in those roles. * [Supporting Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in their Communities](https://liveumb.sharepoint.com/sites/CLE-Toolkit/Shared%20Documents/Multi-author%20Supporting%20Adults%20in%20the%20Community%20\(2\)%20\(1\).pdf): This publication covers values, goals, and quality indicators for integrated employment, pre-vocational services, and community-based non-work activities. * [Learning Opportunities/Quality Work’s CLE Policy: Driven by Philosophy, Guided by Policy](http://www.loqw.com/initiatives-.html): This policy defines CLE and lays out a procedure for enhancing engagement for individuals with disabilities.
Lessons for Direct Support Staff. Our self-paced training can help your staff build skills and feel confident as direct support professionals working in the community. Purchase our course & learn more!/files/lmJE69jiQFJLK67yQ9id/pages/0jcoGlakY461adtR5lbZ

Learn more about our partner project Community Life Engagement in Action!

Upcoming: The Community of Practice application will open in May and launch in September 2024.

/files/0YQf5jUBgtDqsGrfTrrVhttps://iod.unh.edu/community-life-engagement
# Funding **Funding** Funding for the ICI Community Life Engagement project was provided in part by The Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services (agreement #90DN0295), and by The National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, US Department of Education, Field Initiated Program (grant# H133G140150). **Reservation of Rights.** The Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston (ICI/UMB) retains all right, title, and interest in the proprietary information and materials that were created as part of the ICI Community Life Engagement (CLE) Project, (nka Explore Community Life Engagement). This includes, but is not limited to, the information and materials contained within the Community Life Engagement Toolkit. # Engage Briefs The Engage Brief series describes findings and insights from research on community life engagement. The briefs describe the four CLE Guideposts and how they are put in practice at case study sites. Briefs are viewable in PDF format.
Introduction to Community Life Engagementhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FZGrg6LLcmHQAmI52hW3M%2FEngage_ECLE_issue1_update_D1_R.pdf?alt=media&token=1b60714f-41df-4341-98b9-fc2ee93978d4/files/H6CSqK4KGpw6HiFq5yQq
Community Life Engagement: Data Sources, Definitions, and Measurementhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FQrtUFR9X2b0Bz1qHq7B9%2FECLE_engage_2.pdf?alt=media&token=53ccbe50-99b5-440b-9f41-6ac713dc3d3f/files/91j9nProsKtsxjeJR7w3
High-Quality Community Life Engagement Supports: Four Guideposts for Successhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FHcVObflflajjvxiMeszj%2FECLE_engage_3.pdf?alt=media&token=cd4bad68-4ae1-4445-804e-08079b40c759/files/NOIkOPxjuGwnmu8JvtRH
Individualize Supports For Each Personhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2F7NRAjLWd2ZR1VjXh7Qhj%2FECLE_engage_4.pdf?alt=media&token=dd8e81f5-ddf2-4356-915d-1a2f4ee807c0/files/PNLYhy9XpUJpgQPo5MlF
Promote Community Membership and Contributionhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FyNDkiik6Xj4iwhHrc3xZ%2FECLE_engage_5.pdf?alt=media&token=716d123a-af5a-48bb-841b-e3223cac1e14/files/T8ri647MwMkUtFDOzRou
Use Social and Human Capital to Decrease Dependence on Paid Supportshttps://www.thinkwork.org/sites/thinkwork.org/files/files/CLE_guidepost3_brief%206_F.pdf/files/Q4uDCnJXGFSv0GbYCDbL
Ensure That Supports Are Outcome-Oriented and Regularly Monitoredhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FAmrQievFEZgmJFvImZu4%2FECLE_engage_7.pdf?alt=media&token=1bde5cdb-c5d2-45f5-81ea-bf0ddbce1d76/files/VFtq8gQnEMm2Dv0FG68m
State Roles in Promoting CLE: Themes from the SELN’s Working Grouphttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FjybyQLmna8aCWgwBs8Dh%2FECLE_engage_8.pdf?alt=media&token=89a4aca1-5003-4f02-9df9-5b290e0720bb/files/bRg7yO3QElqOjuWmbueT
Meeting the Holistic Vision of Employment and CLE: State Administrator Perspectives on Achievements & Gapshttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FdnUh8forI1XmZxAovsHE%2FECLE_engage_9.pdf?alt=media&token=a089841b-4111-4b3c-860b-f42068df2dca/files/zmKxJc7Jz73zUqgc2VXA
Virtual Community Life Engagementhttps://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FEKetxBlTsxSbYBpgOOst%2FECLE_engage_10.pdf?alt=media&token=19812fdc-1c59-4b67-a987-cb248b38ed73/files/2RHYv4blZdX2GGEBsdUt
Measuring Community Life Engagement with the CLE Fidelity Scale (CLEFS)https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FqErTpYvk3KevPfGyeBEg%2FECLE_engage_11.pdf?alt=media&token=53a68e48-bc44-4204-a5d6-e80e2b043749/files/HdrFKNMZuYkbXZSC0YHo
Engage Briefs [**Introduction to Community Life Engagement**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FZGrg6LLcmHQAmI52hW3M%2FEngage_ECLE_issue1_update_D1_R.pdf?alt=media\&token=1b60714f-41df-4341-98b9-fc2ee93978d4) [**Community Life Engagement: Data Sources, Definitions, and Measurement**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FQrtUFR9X2b0Bz1qHq7B9%2FECLE_engage_2.pdf?alt=media\&token=53ccbe50-99b5-440b-9f41-6ac713dc3d3f) [**High-Quality Community Life Engagement Supports: Four Guideposts for Success**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FHcVObflflajjvxiMeszj%2FECLE_engage_3.pdf?alt=media\&token=cd4bad68-4ae1-4445-804e-08079b40c759) [**Individualize Supports For Each Person**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2F7NRAjLWd2ZR1VjXh7Qhj%2FECLE_engage_4.pdf?alt=media\&token=dd8e81f5-ddf2-4356-915d-1a2f4ee807c0) [**Promote Community Membership and Contribution**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FyNDkiik6Xj4iwhHrc3xZ%2FECLE_engage_5.pdf?alt=media\&token=716d123a-af5a-48bb-841b-e3223cac1e14) [**Use Social and Human Capital to Decrease Dependence on Paid Supports**](https://www.thinkwork.org/sites/thinkwork.org/files/files/CLE_guidepost3_brief%206_F.pdf) [**Ensure That Supports Are Outcome-Oriented and Regularly Monitored**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FAmrQievFEZgmJFvImZu4%2FECLE_engage_7.pdf?alt=media\&token=1bde5cdb-c5d2-45f5-81ea-bf0ddbce1d76) [**State Roles in Promoting CLE: Themes from the SELN’s Working Group**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FjybyQLmna8aCWgwBs8Dh%2FECLE_engage_8.pdf?alt=media\&token=89a4aca1-5003-4f02-9df9-5b290e0720bb) [**Meeting the Holistic Vision of Employment and CLE: State Administrator Perspectives on Achievements & Gaps**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FdnUh8forI1XmZxAovsHE%2FECLE_engage_9.pdf?alt=media\&token=a089841b-4111-4b3c-860b-f42068df2dca) [**Virtual Community Life Engagement**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FEKetxBlTsxSbYBpgOOst%2FECLE_engage_10.pdf?alt=media\&token=19812fdc-1c59-4b67-a987-cb248b38ed73) [**Measuring Community Life Engagement with the CLE Fidelity Scale (CLEFS)**](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FqErTpYvk3KevPfGyeBEg%2FECLE_engage_11.pdf?alt=media\&token=53a68e48-bc44-4204-a5d6-e80e2b043749)
# Service Provider Promising Practices The Service Provider Promising Practices series highlights real-world examples of service providers making CLE happen! These promising practices detail how providers were able to adjust their existing day services and supports to align with the four guideposts of CLE. Briefs are viewable in PDF format. ### Guidepost 1 Promising Practices
Avenues Supported Living Services: a Staffing Approach Based on Client Relationshipshttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=thinkwork/files/yxMXFJt6bycLtqskqh5e
Flexible Scheduling and Creative Staffing: KFI’s Support Solutionshttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038&context=thinkwork/files/eaPZ48lrDzIDEjij44JK
### Guidepost 2 Promising Practice
Using Staff Networks to Build Community Membership at LOQW/files/BZjGrIpSL0iQC8IN6Ufphttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=thinkwork
### Guidepost 3 Promising Practices
Helping Individuals Gain Skills Through Targeted Volunteering & Other CLE Activities/files/HmvkAo0nDSoYuKlqMgv4https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=thinkwork
Fading Supports at Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community /files/hfxB5RUmI52Qv7AZAX9nhttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=thinkwork
### Guidepost 4 Promising Practices
Braiding Community Employment and Life Engagement Services/files/oyZtZhoNuNgXRk2M6Pilhttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=thinkwork
Using Mobile Communication Technology at SEEC/files/YB2JHL0AImQe1OvOhQzxhttps://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=thinkwork
Service Provider Promising Practices [**Avenues Supported Living Services: a Staffing Approach Based on Client Relationships**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037\&context=thinkwork) [**Flexible Scheduling and Creative Staffing: KFI’s Support Solutions**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038\&context=thinkwork) [**Using Staff Networks to Build Community Membership at LOQW**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040\&context=thinkwork) [**Transcen’s Worklink Program: Helping Individuals Gain Work Skills Through Targeted Volunteering & Other CLE Activities**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039\&context=thinkwork) [**Fading Supports at SEEC**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041\&context=thinkwork) [**Braiding Community Employment and Life Engagement Services: TransCen’s WorkLink Program**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043\&context=thinkwork) [**Using Mobile Communication Technology at SEEC**](https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042\&context=thinkwork)
# Online CLE Training Course
Your staff help people with disabilities discover what’s meaningful to them, set important life goals, and develop a path toward achieving their goals. Our self-paced, online training course, **Introduction to Community Life Engagement***,* can help your staff build their skills and feel more confident in their role as direct support professionals working in the community. ## **Introduction to Community Life Engagement** * Lesson 1: Using a Person-Centered Approach to Support Community Life Engagement * Lesson 2: Supporting Outcomes in Community Life Engagement * Lesson 3: Mapping Resources for Community Life Engagement * Lesson 4: Developing Relationships & Building Natural Supports for Community Life Engagement [**Purchase our Introduction to CLE learning course and learn more!**](https://elearning.communityinclusion.org/courses/explore-community-life-engagement) # Additional CLE Resources * [Starfire Video: How Do You Define Your Life.](https://youtu.be/d3mgCFirtag) See how deep, lasting relationships can come from unlikely sources, and are best formed through shared passions and interests. (approx. 2 minutes) * [St. John's Video: Out of the Workshop](https://youtu.be/dWeDOTHK9s4). This video captures the experiences of staff and people supported in the conversion from sheltered work to supported employment and CLE. (approx. 4 minutes) * [Ensuring Excellence in Community-Based Day Supports](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FV6roWqByJp3YDHkoD1Dc%2FDDS_CBDS_web_F.pdf?alt=media\&token=9a354405-db2e-4e9b-8697-3b1446f24df8): A Guide for Service Providers and Staff. This guide for service providers in MA offers ways to develop and operate services to ensure high quality services that result in CLE. * [Community Life Engagement On The College Campus](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2Fy1dgAYZ8bMj7rJyh5xAs%2FHTTC15_R.pdf?alt=media\&token=c18359bb-5aaa-4463-8426-c9a88756003a). This resource shares how college and university staff can use the four CLE guideposts to facilitate the development of natural campus connections and support for students with intellectual disability on college campuses. * [Work Inc.: Developing a Community Liaison Program to Address Holistic Needs.](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FkMJLL7H7pEyTcfN2fC2R%2FService%20Provider%20Promising%20Practice%20-%20Work%20Inc._%20Developing%20A%20Com.pdf?alt=media\&token=8d638df6-d0e9-466c-a137-cd056351894b) This promising practice describes how leadership at Work Inc., a Boston-area provider, thought about the holistic approach to providing individual supports. Work Inc. designed its community liaisons program to have three components: volunteerism, recreation, and instruction. (ICI Service Provider Promising Practice) * [State Agency Self-Assessment.](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2FiUJGsuxi2otO9A9hLSKg%2FCLE_survey_2024_stateagency.pdf?alt=media\&token=6635582a-a6f9-4fcb-9d95-74e758f0ce95) This assessment is intended to help state IDD agencies assess the current strengths of its CLE policies and practices and to identify areas for improvement. * [Feature or Flaw? The Growth of Non-Work Services](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fz5xPyhcyJi6Ol6La8wDc%2Fuploads%2F4Z196xA5SqgaJ5HJdBbt%2F2025_nonwork%20services.pdf?alt=media\&token=1cb2c6f1-dd90-4dfe-bfcc-030c3b17906a). This brief summarizes key themes from the SELN 2025 Non-Work Services Workgroup Series and offers considerations for state systems as they examine and evolve non-work service categories. It encourages state IDD agencies to reflect on how non-work supports can complement and strengthen momentum toward employment.