The following is from the AIRS Certification Commission, concerning the transition from CIRS-A to CIRS-A/D. 

Dear CIRS-A (and future CIRS-A/D!) colleagues,

As you know, AIRS in partnership with n4a and NASUAD, is transitioning the professional credential of a CIRS-Aging (CIRS-A) to a CIRS-Aging/Disabilities (CIRS-A/D).

We are now pleased to announce that the free online disability training for existing CIRS-A holders will be available, as promised, on the first week of March.

All CIRS-A holders will have to complete this training before their next re-certification date. However, there is plenty of time for you to take this training – so please don’t all rush to do so at once, in case it overloads the system!!

The training course is entitled “Disability for I&R Specialists” and is available on the NASUADiQ website at http://www.nasuadiq.org/login/index.php.

If you are new to NASUADiQ, you must create a new account. Please note that there is no fee to create an account or to take the training course. Directions for creating an account are available on the NASUADiQ site. There is also an Instructional Guide to NASUADIQ.org Online Learning Center available for those who would like more assistance in using this online learning site.

To access the disability training, go to “Disability for I&R Specialists” under ‘Available Courses.’ Once you enroll in the course, you will have 45 days to complete it. The course is provided in several formats, including a written narrative report, a set of slides, and a narrated presentation that includes slides accompanied by an audio presentation. The training concludes with a free, self-administered 20-question quiz. The quiz must be passed (at a cut score of 75%) but can be taken multiple times without penalty. Once you have successfully passed the quiz, you will be able to generate, print, and/or save a Certificate of Completion. 

You will need this Certificate of Completion in order to formally recertify as a CIRS-A/D at the time your CIRS-A is due to expire.

Here is a summary of the essential information:

Transition for current CIRS-A Holders

• As stated at the beginning of this project, once the CIRS-A/D becomes available to the field, it will be the only option for individual Aging and Disabilities practitioners (i.e. there will be no separate certification relating only to Aging or only to Disabilities)
• The free online training module is now available on the NASUAD IQ Online Learning Center (http://www.nasuadiq.org/).This course can also account for 2 of the 10 hours professional training required for your next AIRS Recertification
• The training focuses on basic awareness issues regarding persons with disabilities, including definitions of the various types of disabilities
• The training concludes with a free, self-administered (i.e., non-proctored) online quiz. This 20-question quiz must be passed (cut score of 75%) but can be taken multiple times without penalty
• Individuals who pass the quiz will receive a Certificate of Completion
• CIRS-A holders may take that training at any time from now until the existing date of their AIRS Recertification. However, to recertify they will eventually have to complete this required training
• After receiving the Certificate of Completion from NASUAD, an individual holding a CIRS-A can immediately use the designation of “CIRS-A/D”. However, they will not receive a CIRS-A/D Certificate from AIRS until they have officially recertified on their existing renewal date. When completing their recertification application, they will be asked to include a copy of their NASUAD confirmation. At that stage, the individual will receive their formal CIRS-A/D Certificate from AIRS. (For example, when the CIRS–A/D exam becomes available on March 16^th 2015, an individual holding a CIRS-A who is due for recertification in August 2015, may choose to complete their NASUAD training module in April 2015 and upon completion may refer to themselves as a CIRS-A/D. When recertifying with AIRS on their scheduled date in August 2015, they will include their documentation from NASUAD with their application and will then receive their formal CIRS-A/D Certification.)

We appreciate your understanding of the process and the value this new qualification will bring to you as a professional, your organization and your community.

If you have any questions or require additional clarity, please email info@airs.org.

Sincerely,

Anne Fogoros
Chair, AIRS Certification Commission
United Way of Allegany County
Pittsburgh, PA