The Independent Living Skills Program provides individual training is the following areas: Cooking/Nutrition; Household Organization; Basic Money Management; Checkbook/Budgeting Money Management; Travel Training. Social skills training is offered in a peer mentoring environment. Activities include an art and games group, and group field trips.
Cooking/Nutrition Skills Training
Good eating habits are important for everyone. Consumers develop their skills to create simple, nutritious meals from recipes that they prefer. This one-to-one training instructs consumers on proper and safe use the stove, oven, and microwave oven in cooking their own meals, as well as safe and proper use of basic appliances and utensils. The class is two hours long, and incorporates basic nutrition education into each lesson. The consumer is responsible for bringing the required ingredients for a given recipe that they choose.
Household Organization
Ever feel that your space is out of control? This class prepares consumers in basic home management skills. The class covers how to properly use cleaning supplies and appliances, operate a washer and dryer, and to organize your living space.
Basic Money Management
Just going to the corner store, do you wonder if you’re getting the correct change back? This class prepares consumers to correctly identify and count coins and/or currency. Consumers will also learn to give and receive the correct change, and will gain an understanding of basic addition and subtractions skills.
Checkbook/Budgeting Money Management
This class is for consumers with more advanced money management skills, but who are having difficulty meeting financial goals. The class focuses on developing and following a monthly budget, and obtaining and maintaining a checking account. Consumers are instructed on how to: open a checking account using basic banking language; demonstrate ability to write numbers, dates and money amounts; write personal checks and/or money orders; read and understand monthly bills; record banking transactions; balance a checkbook against a monthly statement.
Travel Training
Consumers will learn to utilize the city transportation system by traveling to various locations in the community with the travel trainer. The consumer and the trainer will plan together the route the consumer chooses to learn. Places of interest or necessity are included to enable the consumer to learn the overall transit system, and become more independent in the community.
The Art/Games Social Group
This group meets at DIRECT on Wednesday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. It is a structured environment for persons who are having difficulty learning suitable social skills. The participants play card and board games, or work on simple art projects while learning to interact positively with others.
Friday Social Group Field Trips
This social group is for more advanced consumers who want to experience more that our community has to offer, but may require guidance in accessing those activities. The group meets at different local locations around Tucson. Activities include: going to various restaurants; movies; bowling; the zoo; area malls; the casinos; and local museums. Please call Mary Tatom for more details.
Transition Fair
DIRECT is a sponsor of the yearly Transition Fair, which is held in October. In 2008, it was held Amphitheater High School.
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