This web-based training curriculum development initiative is the result of a unique partnership between NCPI, the COPS Office, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The program is designed to increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies to implement effective community policing strategies that enhance public safety practitioners’ ability to recognize and effectively interact with community members that may have an intellectual or developmental disability.
To achieve this, NCPI developed Better Encounters: Police and People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, a 3-hour, self-paced, online course for delivery to an unlimited number of law enforcement professionals and agencies.
Since launching the course in 2023, participants include more than 3,000 practitioners representing 740+ agencies in all 50 states.
Meeting contemporary public safety needs
The significant and rising prevalence of I/DD in the population makes the Better Encounters course especially pertinent for law enforcement and other safety practitioners with a focus on traffic safety.
Itpresents the rationale for learning more about people with I/DD, including the growing rates of specific disabilities and the likely contexts for interactions with police during traffic-related contact.
The course provides the means of identifying behaviors that are characteristic of those with I/DD, developing strategies for having positive interactions, and improving situational awareness and decision-making.
Ultimately, the greater the awareness law enforcement officers have of the conditions and people they are likely to encounter, the better equipped they are to effectively manage a diverse range of situations.
This is a very good course that offers key insights into the nature of I/DD and offers practical tips that can be applied in law enforcement situations.
Web-based curriculum development
Using our comprehensive instructional design processes, and in close partnership with NHTSA and the COPS Office, NCPI designed and produced all aspects of the Better Encounters curriculum including:
- learning objectives and corresponding assessment strategies
- storyboards of all on-screen content
- eLearning templates
- scripted narration
- technology-enhanced activities
- course navigation structure
As with all our programs, NCPI built and piloted the course and produced all multi-media components, working with subject-matter experts, practitioners, and self-advocates, and managing processes related to filming, scripting, editing and video packaging, and audio content production.
Inclusive by design
From the beginning of the program, NCPI has partnered with self-advocates and their family members, as well as practitioners known for their expertise in serving members of the I/DD community.
Our team was invited to participate in a training event where community members and officers could interact in mock traffic stops. We recorded interviews with self-advocates and SMEs participating in that event, as well as others, and incorporated their perspectives as key elements of the course.
We participate in ongoing DOJ I/DD Working Group sessions to leverage existing resources, knowledge, and relationships.
To ensure learner accessibility, NCPI developed the training to comply with Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act and the applicable Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines (WCAG).
