ATLANTA, January 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The College of Direct Support (CDS), an internet-based college for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and managed in partnership by Elsevier I MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center, has introduced its newest Disability Intensive Course (DIC) into the CDS Curriculum - Diabetes

This is the fifth DIC course to be added to the CDS curriculum, joining courses on "Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders", "Brain Injury", "Cerebral Palsy", and "Depression" and is the 35th course in the CDS curriculum.

The author of the course is Kelly Nye-Lengerman, a Project Coordinator and author at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration/Research and Training Center, which is responsible for the development and authoring of the CDS curriculum.

Description of the Course

This course is about Diabetes and the effect it may have on a person's overall health. Diabetes is a condition where the body does not or cannot produce enough insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar and starches into energy, impacting all body systems. This course presents facts about this affection, describes how Diabetes may affect individuals and their families, and discusses support strategies and Diabetes resources that can be useful to Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).

A DIC is a specialized course within the CDS that focuses on one disability or condition. Unlike other CDS courses, they consist of one lesson. Each course defines and describes the nature of a specific condition, provides information about the causes, characteristics and symptoms, and some stories of people who have this condition are shared.