Katherine Mclaughlin has the rare gift of imparting vast amounts of information and best practices while remaining warm and relatable. Her long experience in the field means that the material itself is shaped for maximum impact, and the manuals and take-home materials are there to back it up. She’s an inspirational teacher, whose three-day seminar transformed our group of 35 educators, trainers, and direct care staff into a pop-up community of a sort united by our desire to take her work out into the world. It was a remarkable experience.
Eli Gottlieb, author on autism.
Katherine is incredible and really helps people learn in a way that they feel comfortable. She believes in people with disabilities that they can teach sexuality and much more if given the chance. People felt like they could talk to her and ask her anything. When people are asked to talk about sex, sometimes it is not an easy thing to do, but with Katherine there, people were asking questions and were comfortable learning a lot and didn’t want the time to end. We hope she will come to Chicago again. Katherine is such an incredible person, and she makes a big difference in people with disabilities lives.
Tia Nelis, Self-Advocate
Katherine McLaughlin is a phenomenal trainer full of energy and knowledge. She is skilled at creating an extremely comfortable environment for people to learn about such an important and sensitive topic. The two-day workshop she led for us included people with a wide range of knowledge and experience on the topic, including people with and without developmental disabilities. She was able to engage this diverse audience and make the participants feel confident with the information and resources they gained.
Katie Arnold, Community Support Coordinator
Institute on Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois-Chicago
Katherine is an inspired trainer who shares her knowledge and skills in a fun and engaging way. The training gave me many good pointers on how to be an effective group leader. The curriculum is very comprehensive and well done. I like the way I can pick and choose which units to use depending on the needs of my group. The lesson plans are user-friendly, with clear language and great visuals for the handouts. I would recommend this curriculum to anyone interested in putting together a comprehensive sexuality education program for adults with developmental disabilities.
Linda Sandman
University of Illinois-Chicago
Hello, My Name is Tia Nelis. I would like to share with you about the sexuality curriculum. It is the best one out there. It has pictures and easy-to-understand language. Katherine and Green Mountain Self-Advocates did an awesome job. We have used it where I work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. People really enjoy using it.
Tia Nelis
Co-President of SABE
Katherine McLaughlin has an incredible ability to teach people with developmental disabilities about sexuality. She provides a safe atmosphere for them to ask questions and share their concerns without feeling hesitation. Even though sex and relationships are not easy to talk about, we always feel comfortable with Katherine. The work that she does has created a strong relationship between her and self-advocates because her teaching style is very accessible. This is important so self-advocates can get the right information without feeling self-conscious. I highly recommend Katherine as an awesome person to work with!
Max Barrows, Self-Advocate
Green Mountain Self-Advocates
Katherine Mclaughlin is a dynamic and enthusiastic educator who is willing to tackle the tough topics that many shy away from. Having attended one of her “Becoming a Sexuality Educator” Seminars, I am more than ready to answer the questions our individuals may ask and do so in a well-informed yet easy-to-understand way. Her curriculum has given me the tools I need to run an effective, Healthy Relationship focused group free of judgment and preset roles. Our agency as a whole will benefit from her program, and I benefited as an educator from her live session. I highly recommend her curriculum as well as her live seminar.
Alfred Dufour III
Training Coordinator for LEAP, Farmington, Maine
This training was informative and comprehensive and provided an in-depth knowledge of how to provide healthy relationships and sexuality training for individuals with I/DD. I would absolutely recommend this training to anyone looking to advocate for and support individuals with I/DD in their right to sexual expression!
As someone who mostly hasn’t worked with this population, it was really helpful to hear examples of real-life situations and the messages that self-advocates want other folks to hear. I learned so much about best practices, arguments for teaching sex-ed to people with I/DD, and common barriers to sexual autonomy for this population.
No matter where you are in your career as a sexuality or IDD educator, you will benefit from this course. I even was reminded of some very important messages about self-respect and self-advocacy that I apply to my personal life. I cannot recommend highly enough.
This training was exactly what I hoped for!! I loved all the materials and resources that were provided. After taking the course I feel much more confident in my ability to now teach staff, parents, and individuals in sexuality education. If you are looking for more education or resources around sexuality and IDD, this is the place for you:) Katherine is amazing, so knowledgeable, and personable; this really is her passion!!
This training conquered a challenging topic area that is so crucial and much needed to allow our clients to lead autonomous, independent, and fulfilling lives. I feel well prepared to take this on in my workplace, providing trainings to our direct care staff and participants directly.