Building Inclusive Facilitation Practices for Individuals with Disabilities
Course Details
​ 1-Day Online course on Zoom:​
​ December 4 8:00-1:30PM PDT
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2-Day Online course on Zoom:​
​ January 29 9:00-11:30AM PDT
January 30 9:00-12:30PM PDT
Course Aims
In my course participants will:
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Learn the skills, strategies, and tools needed to have engaging meetings that include the voices of individuals with disabilities.
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Lead conversations that will help groups develop a shared understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives and options.
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Learn facilitation skills that will empower participants to feel engaged and heard.
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Learn to use an evidence-based method created by the Technology of Participation (ToP) in the context of disability inclusivity.
How can you use this information?
This knowledge can transform the way you facilitate your meetings and lead community trainings. Whether you're facilitating a workgroup, teaching a class, or organizing an event, you’ll know how to include everyone from the start.
For more than thirty years, I have worked in the disability field facilitating meetings, training, community conversations, and statewide initiatives. Throughout this work, I have repeatedly witnessed situations where people with disabilities and their families were present but not fully included or supported to participate meaningfully in the conversations.
This one-day online class draws on those experiences to offer a practical, proactive framework for creating truly inclusive facilitation environments.
Participants will learn strategies for planning and leading meetings that honor diverse communication needs, minimize barriers, and ensure every voice can be heard.
We will explore inclusive practices before, during, and after facilitation, including accessible meeting design, using plain language, preparing participants through pre-meetings, building inclusive small-group activities, and using reflective closings that capture all perspectives.
Attendees will leave with concrete techniques they can immediately apply to their facilitation toolbox in order to be more accessible, engaging, and authentically inclusive for people with disabilities.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
“This week, I had the opportunity to attend a two-night online training on Facilitating Engaging Meetings, organized by Stoffmacher Consulting. The training offered me a more profound understanding of facilitation, with a particular focus on conducting focused conversations.
The sessions allowed me to critically reflect on how we currently conduct conversations and meetings within our organization. It became clear that there is significant room for improvement, especially in integrating the focused conversation method into our practices.
As part of the Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation framework, we engaged in practical exercises that helped solidify our understanding of the method. The trainer, Beth Stoffmacher, CTF , is a highly skilled and experienced facilitator, certified in ToP methodologies. Her delivery was engaging and insightful, making the training both practical and inspiring.
Dr. Yasamin Bolourian, Director of Outreach & Dissemination,
UCLA Tarjan Center, UCEDD
"Beth Stoffmacher, CTF is one of those rare professionals who can navigate complex systems and diverse stakeholders with both ease and heart. Whether she was engaging with community members, advocates, researchers, or leadership, Beth ensured that every voice was heard and every individual felt valued—regardless of title. She is authentic, efficient, and deeply committed to fostering inclusive spaces.
You never had to ask Beth twice—she always delivered with care and precision. Her ability to hold both the big picture and the smallest details makes her an incredible asset to any group or initiative."
Dr. Blake Warner, PEERS Postdoctoral Fellow,
UCLA Tarjan Center
“Beth's expertise in guiding meaningful conversations provides invaluable support in navigating complex decision-making processes. Her thoughtful approach fosters efficient and productive dialogue, helping individuals and teams gain clarity and alignment, leading to innovative solutions that support mission-driven goals."
“"As someone who has been trained in ToP, I found that this training gave additional nuance to the way I facilitate. ToP is inclusive, but there are additional questions to ask yourself and others to ensure you are meeting the needs of your groups. I highly recommend this course!"
Dr. Cari Murphy, Director, Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
“Beth is an outstanding trainer. She understands and pays attention to the leaners' needs and is extremely responsive. She is invested in the content and really cares about participants learning through practice. She even offers follow-up support to facilitate application of learnings. I would highly recommend taking a course from Beth!”
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Kecia Weller,
Senior Disability Advocate
UCLA Tarjan Center
"Beth is an expert facilitator and helped to bring the voices of other advocates into our advisory committee meetings by using her facilitation expertise. As a person with a disability, she made me feel connected, engaged and safe to contribute my voice in the meeting. Beth is effective as a facilitator because she is very personal with the meeting attendees and makes sure to make the meeting accessible to the learning and accommodation needs of all the attendees. Beth is a subject matter expert in how to facilitate advisory committee meetings and training for individuals with and without disabilities."
"I appreciated the small group size, it made the experience more personable and conversational. I’d definitely recommend others on my team take this course!"
Annonymous
"Your compassion, thoughtfulness and examples were so much appreciated!"
Kecia Weller,
Senior Disability Advocate
UCLA Tarjan Center
"As someone who facilitates regularly, this two session course brought up new ideas for more inclusive facilitation that I started applying day one. Also, great price for the quality of content."