Katherine McLaughlin, M.Ed.
Katherine is certified as a sexuality educator by AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) and is the Founder of Disability Workshops, now Elevatus Training, LLC. She is the CEO and lead Trainer, and she delivers our live and online trainings. She is the author of Sexuality Education for People with Developmental Disabilities Curriculum and also develops educational materials for others to use in teaching and communicating.
I have spent my career working for the equality of all people, but in the beginning, mostly women and reproductive rights. I worked for Planned Parenthood for many years, helping people become sexually healthy in a culture that doesn’t want to talk about this topic. I have been a sexuality educator and trainer with a specialty in sexuality and disabilities for over 25 years.
At 26, I had a spinal cord injury and became a wheelchair user. This threw me into a world that I knew very little about. Through my own personal experience, I started to see the inequity for those with disabilities and the attitudes and beliefs many people in our culture hold that people with disabilities are not sexual.
At the same time, I began to get requests from Special Educators and Developmental Disability Staff to talk with students and people with disabilities about sexual health. In the beginning, people wanted me to come into their school or agency and teach the topic, but as the years went on, I started to see educators and staff begin to see that they could address this topic on their own with some support from me. Also, at a conference, I was asked by Karen Topper from Green Mountain Self Advocates, “Would you ever consider having people with disabilities be the teachers of these classes?” It was a new idea for me, but I willingly said, “Yes.”
From that moment on, all my work has been on helping self-advocates, educators, direct support staff, parents, and others to become sexuality educators themselves and learn how to teach or talk about this topic. I created educational materials and provided training to help raise their level of confidence. Just as we want people with disabilities to be self-sufficient in their lives, I wanted organizations, agencies, and schools to be self-sufficient in teaching and communicating about sexuality.
I have created a sexuality education curriculum that has a focus on sexual self-advocacy and is inclusive of all gender and sexual identities. I have also created two online courses, one for staff and one for parents, to help these groups have access to training that meets their needs and fits into their schedules and budgets. I continue to provide in-service trainings and offer a three-day certificate program titled Becoming a Sexuality Educator and Trainer. This training enables staff to teach sexuality education classes and offer workshops for staff and parents within their agency or school.
I also teach Human Sexuality at Keene State College in New Hampshire. I have spent my life trying to elevate the status of all people, which is why we chose our new name for our growing company, Elevatus Training.
You can reach me at: kath@elevatustraining.com.
Helaine Iris
Helaine is the COO. She handles operations, business development, marketing and sales, customer service, and tech support.
Growing up in the 70s, with the Vietnam War and the women’s movement as a backdrop, I was raised and encouraged to explore. I became a seeker of freedom and a believer in possibilities. Asking “Why?” and “Why not?” became a way of life. Passionately standing for people to become the fullest versions of themselves became my life mission.
I met Katherine in 1994. We were both working for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, where I developed and implemented a Health Care Assistant training program encompassing 20 regional branches of the organization. Working for PPNNE was a fulfillment as I had the opportunity to be on the front lines supporting women’s reproductive rights.
In 2000, my career path took a brave turn, and I struck out on my own and became a small business coach. I founded Path of Purpose Coaching so I could utilize my broad range of professional experience in business management, training, program development, and counseling to help passionate and inspired entrepreneurs start and run their own businesses.
Then, in 2015, in a seemingly innocent conversation with my friend Katherine, it became clear she was ready to take Disability Workshops to the next level. I had the complementary skills to help her do that, and Voila! A match made in heaven, a mutual passion to make the world a better place, and a mutual desire to enjoy the work we do in the world.
The rest is history, and I’m honored and excited to help Elevatus Training fulfill its mission.
You can reach me at: helaine@elevatustraining.com.
Lindsey Austin-Davis
Lindsey is our Creative Marketing and Project Specialist
Health and wellness have always been a strong passion of mine, and sexuality education is an important piece of wellness. Through my degree in Health Science and previous roles in public health research, health coaching, and non-profit management, I have had the opportunity to support individuals of all ages from diverse backgrounds in leading healthy and fulfilling lives.
In 2016, I met Katherine when we both worked for Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock. Her passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to the work we did to improve the health of employees in the Monadnock Region of South Western New Hampshire was infectious.
After the birth of my first child, I was seeking a new opportunity that would allow me to work part-time with a flexible schedule in order to soak in all the sweet moments with my little one. When Katherine offered me an opportunity to do just that with Elevatus Training, LLC, I jumped at the opportunity. This role has provided me with the opportunity to love my work and family simultaneously.
You can reach me at: lindsey@elevatustraining.com