Open the Lid
Web-based Classes and Community for Disabled People and Allies
Open the Lid web-based classes facilitated by expert instructors specializing in technology, movement, and empowerment. These classes are open for for all abilities, ages, labels and locations making them truly accessible and inclusive for everyone. Through these classes, participants gain valuable knowledge and skills in their chosen areas of interest. Their community fosters collaboration, support, and growth among learners, creating a dynamic environment for personal and professional development. With master special education teachers leading the way, their platform ensures high-quality support and guidance, where individuals can move at their own pace. Individuals are empowered to create short-term steps for long-term goals making their goals achievable.
Learn What Open the Lid has to Offer
Technology Classes
Whether Group Classes, Individual Classes or both, you will learn how to:
- Interact with augmentative communication technology
- Research &Â apply organizational and time management apps
- Learn how to create and use G-drive, Zoom, and Social media platforms (Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Discord)
Movement Classes
In our Individual Classes you will learn how to:
- Build mind-body awareness through movement
- Strengthen your balance for stability and emotional well-being
- Learn tools that keep you motivated
- Make friends and connections through group activities and partner exercises
Empowerment Classes
Whether Group Classes, Individual Classes or both, you will learn:
- To build short-term goals
- Simple tools to solve problems and make friends
- Self-regulation
- Conflict management
- Creating long-term goals with short-term steps
Caregiver Classes
Caregivers face unique challenges, we can help. These classes will help navigate:
- Home routine
- Community resources
- Educational advocacy (IEP, behavior plans, etc)
- Government funding
- Sibling dynamics
- Divorce
- Behavioral challenges
- Feeding challenges
What are Sibshops @ Open the Lid?
Sibshop is a program for siblings of individuals with developmental and health concerns.
- Provide support and validation for siblings of individuals with special needs
- Foster a sense of community and belonging through games and activities
- Educate siblings about disabilities/ chronic illness and promote empathy and understanding
- Empower siblings to navigate their unique family dynamics with confidence and resilience
Classes and Lessons
Classes
- Group Classes are at the core of Open the Lid’s community. Like going to the community center, YMCA, mosque, temple, or church, you’ll meet teenagers and adults of all ages from different places, with diverse identities. Their community is a place where everyone learns from each other.
Often covered by self-direction funding (I/DD funding) as a community class. - Individual Classes take you from where you are to where you want to be. They offer Movement Classes, Empowerment Classes, and Technology Classes. Students have started YouTube channels, used graphic design to create self-regulation posters, created systems to manage finances and paperwork, learned about internet safety, sex- education, independently navigated new technology to communicate using different channels, and built movement routines for physical health.
Often covered by self-direction funding (I/DD funding) as a community class.
Lessons
- Workbooks spanning over 33 different lessons will help you understand the concepts more deeply and reinforce new ideas. Each lesson builds on the last and provides specific tools and systems for integrating new skills. Use what is helpful, and let go of the rest.Â
- Videos complement each lesson by highlighting key topics and detailing the techniques that the lessons layout. Great for auditory learners or to watch before or after as an introduction/review.
Lydia Dolch, Founder and Empowerment Coach
Lydia is an empowerment coach and certified educator, dynamic speaker, and workshop leader. She founded Open the Lid in 2019 sharing personal, and social empowerment in an inclusive community.
Her Group Classes cater to teenagers and adults of all abilities, including neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. In these classes, Lydia fosters strategies for personal, organizational, and social development, utilizing peer support from a diverse range of individuals, including those with conditions like Autism, Down’s syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy.
Additionally, her Individual and Caregiver Classes for students and caregivers helps them prioritize and navigate school and community services and access public funding sources. She shares strategies for successful communication in the home, school, and public that, without the right tools, can show up as anger, overwhelm and aggression.
She is regularly invited to host workshops. The topics often touch on her experiences working in school, community, and residential settings. Some of her most popular workshops include: 3 Steps to Self-Care: Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout and Show Up for Yourself and Others, 11 Strategies for Improving Mental Health from an Educational Perspective, Effective Communication for Diverse Individual and Family Styles, as well as Supporting Employees and Individuals Who Identify as Transgender/ Autistic/Neurodivergent /LGBTQIA+