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Phase 2: Assessment and Training
Audio File (4 minutes)
Listen to Angela Weaver, State Expert Advisor for Oregon, talk about the importance of ongoing education, engagement, and training throughout the entire project process.
Audio Download.
The second phase of the Inclusive Healthy Communities Model is Assessment and Training, in which you provide the necessary instruction and training to your your community coalition on project activities, including the community health assessment. The next four phases will build upon what you do in this phase.
- Provide an overview and guidance to your community coalition about the project;
- Share the project’s deliverables and related timelines;
- Discuss the process for completing the community health assessment; and
- Guide the community coaches and coalitions as they go out in the community to complete their community health assessment.
WHY is this phase important?
WHY is this phase important?
Providing appropriate training and support to your community coaches and community coalition members at the project’s onset is critical for ensuring that all partners understand the disability inclusion vision and mission. This training is about presenting the six phases of the Inclusive Healthy Communities Model, setting expectations for the project period, and guiding coalitions into mapping out the assessment process.
Additionally, a community health assessment will provide your community coalition with a local snapshot of the assets and deficits for healthy living for all residents. Having current local and/or state data help to ensure that the policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes are addressing the actual needs in the community.
Providing appropriate training and support to your community coaches and community coalition members at the project’s onset is critical for ensuring that all partners understand the disability inclusion vision and mission. This training is about presenting the six phases of the Inclusive Healthy Communities Model, setting expectations for the project period, and guiding coalitions into mapping out the assessment process.
Additionally, a community health assessment will provide your community coalition with a local snapshot of the assets and deficits for healthy living for all residents. Having current local and/or state data help to ensure that the policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes are addressing the actual needs in the community.
WHAT activities take place during this phase?
WHAT activities take place during this phase?
See this video produced by NACDD to learn more about the training process for Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities project.
- Consider implementing training for your Community Coaches and coalition members. It is best if the training takes place in person, so the project training can include group learning and relationship building. A comprehensive project training covers all major activities within each of the phases, including:
- How to conduct a community health assessment;
- Addressing barriers to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment and implementation;
- Pairing policy changes with environmental changes;
- How to write a success story;
- Social marketing techniques for inclusive healthy communities messaging; and
- Use of social media platforms.
You may want to reach out to state or local disability organizations, such as your state’s Disability and Health Program, regional Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Centers, universities, and/or Center for Independent Living to learn more about disability inclusion and help you determine appropriate content to include in the initial training.
The Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII), developed by the National Center for Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD) is an assessment tool that you may want to consider. For this assessment, you would complete site-specific questions across five community sectors (i.e., school, health care, work site, community institution/organization, and community-at-large).
Audio File (8 minutes)
Listen to Angela Weaver, State Expert Advisor for Oregon, talk about how the community coalitions in Benton County and Umatilla County used the CHII to identify local assets to build upon, as well as existing gaps that needed to be addressed.
View Transcript » [PDF – 101 KB]JavaScript is required to play this audio. The audio file can be found at
Audio Download.There are several available assessment tools that can be used to determine the levels of inclusion and accessibility at both the environmental and individual levels. As part of your project training, you will provide a detailed overview of the community health inclusion assessment tool that you selected, including the purpose of the assessment, number of community sites and sectors to be assessed, and your timeline for performing these activities. Consider assessing a minimum of one community-at-large municipality and three sites from each of the remaining four sectors where people live, learn, work, play, pray, or receive care in order to provide a representative snapshot of your community.
- Ensuring that the baseline (or initial) community health assessment takes place during this phase of the project enables the use of your assessment results to prioritize and plan your next steps. Following this observation, consider establishing a schedule for re-assessing your community either annually or every couple of years.
See this video produced by NACDD to learn more about the training process for Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities project.
- Consider implementing training for your Community Coaches and coalition members. It is best if the training takes place in person, so the project training can include group learning and relationship building. A comprehensive project training covers all major activities within each of the phases, including:
- How to conduct a community health assessment;
- Addressing barriers to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment and implementation;
- Pairing policy changes with environmental changes;
- How to write a success story;
- Social marketing techniques for inclusive healthy communities messaging; and
- Use of social media platforms.
You may want to reach out to state or local disability organizations, such as your state’s Disability and Health Program, regional Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Centers, universities, and/or Center for Independent Living to learn more about disability inclusion and help you determine appropriate content to include in the initial training.
The Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII), developed by the National Center for Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD) is an assessment tool that you may want to consider. For this assessment, you would complete site-specific questions across five community sectors (i.e., school, health care, work site, community institution/organization, and community-at-large).
Audio File (8 minutes)
Listen to Angela Weaver, State Expert Advisor for Oregon, talk about how the community coalitions in Benton County and Umatilla County used the CHII to identify local assets to build upon, as well as existing gaps that needed to be addressed.
View Transcript » [PDF – 101 KB]JavaScript is required to play this audio. The audio file can be found at
Audio Download.There are several available assessment tools that can be used to determine the levels of inclusion and accessibility at both the environmental and individual levels. As part of your project training, you will provide a detailed overview of the community health inclusion assessment tool that you selected, including the purpose of the assessment, number of community sites and sectors to be assessed, and your timeline for performing these activities. Consider assessing a minimum of one community-at-large municipality and three sites from each of the remaining four sectors where people live, learn, work, play, pray, or receive care in order to provide a representative snapshot of your community.
- Ensuring that the baseline (or initial) community health assessment takes place during this phase of the project enables the use of your assessment results to prioritize and plan your next steps. Following this observation, consider establishing a schedule for re-assessing your community either annually or every couple of years.
WHO in the community needs to be involved?
WHO in the community needs to be involved?
It is best if the community health assessment is completed collaboratively by all community coalition members so that your entire group will be able to understand how the assessment was conducted as well as the results (e.g., assets and deficits for healthy living in your community). For coalitions that are larger in size, you may want to consider forming a sub-committee to implement the community health assessment on behalf of the larger coalition.
It is best if the community health assessment is completed collaboratively by all community coalition members so that your entire group will be able to understand how the assessment was conducted as well as the results (e.g., assets and deficits for healthy living in your community). For coalitions that are larger in size, you may want to consider forming a sub-committee to implement the community health assessment on behalf of the larger coalition.
How much TIME does this phase take?
How much TIME does this phase take?
It is recommended that training be ongoing and woven throughout the project. Ideally, the first training session is conducted in person, with subsequent trainings done remotely. Consider working with partners to provide technical assistance as needed.
The baseline assessment can take 2–3 months to complete. Setting up a timeline for reassessment is an important part of tracking your impact, as well as sustaining your disability inclusion efforts. Moreover, reassessment typically takes less time to complete since sites and data collection methods have already been identified and established.
It is recommended that training be ongoing and woven throughout the project. Ideally, the first training session is conducted in person, with subsequent trainings done remotely. Consider working with partners to provide technical assistance as needed.
The baseline assessment can take 2–3 months to complete. Setting up a timeline for reassessment is an important part of tracking your impact, as well as sustaining your disability inclusion efforts. Moreover, reassessment typically takes less time to complete since sites and data collection methods have already been identified and established.
What does SUCCESS look like?
What does SUCCESS look like?
A successful assessment and training process may have the following characteristics:
- Project training and role expectations for community coaches and coalition members;
- Instruction and guidance on completing the community health assessment (e.g., CHII, CDC’s Built Environment Assessment Tool, Active Community Environment Toolkit);
- Outline for selecting community sites and how assessment activities will be accomplished (e.g., responsible party, data collection methods); and
- Means to determine frequency and timeline for community re-assessment.
A successful assessment and training process may have the following characteristics:
- Project training and role expectations for community coaches and coalition members;
- Instruction and guidance on completing the community health assessment (e.g., CHII, CDC’s Built Environment Assessment Tool, Active Community Environment Toolkit);
- Outline for selecting community sites and how assessment activities will be accomplished (e.g., responsible party, data collection methods); and
- Means to determine frequency and timeline for community re-assessment.
