New online course to provide training on building the financial well-being of people with disabilities
National Disability Institute (NDI) and the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) today announced the launch of Financial Inclusion Essentials, a self-paced online course with six modules designed for financial counselors, financial coaches, disability service providers, and others who want to learn more about building the financial well-being of people with disabilities. The announcement was made at the 2019 AFCPE Research and Training Symposium in Portland, Ore.
The six Financial Inclusion Essentials modules cover a variety of topics including debunking myths and stereotypes about people with disabilities, understanding money management rights and resources, navigating favorable tax credits and services, understanding employment resources for people with disabilities, providing education on major acquisitions, and understanding ABLE accounts.
“AFCPE® Essentials Courses are web-based and affordable, providing training on critical topics to help our professionals provide essential support to those they serve,” said Rebecca Wiggins, Executive Director, AFCPE. “We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to achieve lasting financial well-being, which is why we partnered with NDI to deliver this important coursework to our professionals. Financial Inclusion Essentials is another important step in helping people with disabilities and their families build a better financial future.”
“NDI is pleased to partner with AFCPE to launch the Financial Inclusion Essentials course that will further build the knowledge and awareness in the field that financial inclusion is possible for all, including people with disabilities,” said Michael Morris, Executive Director, National Disability Institute.
According to research by NDI, financial inclusion training is needed and the Financial Inclusion Essentials course will meet this need. A survey recently conducted by the nonprofit with financial counselors and financial coaches found that half expressed they were somewhat uncomfortable serving people with disabilities. Counselors who reported serving no or very few people with disabilities were the most likely say they were not comfortable. In addition, 69 percent of respondents said they were not comfortable with their knowledge about ABLE accounts and half or more were not comfortable with important disability topics such as assistive technology, Social Security overpayments, asset limits, work incentives and others. Further, 77 percent of survey respondents said they would use online self-paced training on financial empowerment strategies specific to persons with disabilities.
Registration will officially open in 2020. To learn more about Financial Inclusion Essentials, and sign up for our interest list, visit: https://www.afcpe.org/certification-and-training/financial-inclusion-essentials/.
