English as Second Language (ESL) Initiative

Over the past seven weekends, IRI has hosted approximately 75 staff members attending English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. On December 22, 2024, a group of 25 staff members graduated from the program, having studied under the guidance of Professor Reginald St. Fort. These staff members participated in five half-day sessions of conversational English, tailored to their roles as Direct Support Professionals.

This initiative is a part of IRI’s innovative approach to identifying, onboarding, and retaining new staff from the community. Lina Saray, Chief of Staff and Director of Human Resources, highlighted the program’s uniqueness in the field, stating: “This creative approach to staff retention and professional development is the first of its kind that we know of. IRI remains committed to this effort and will continue to develop learning opportunities to support our cadre of Direct Support Professionals who are English Learners (EL).”

Special thanks to Ashley Predvil and Mario Sucuzhanay for proctoring the weekend learning sessions. Congratulations to all the graduates on this remarkable achievement!