Community Man

For many students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, everyday community interactions that others take for granted can feel overwhelming and even frightening. Visiting the doctor, picking up a prescription, reporting an emergency, or speaking with a police officer — these routine situations require social skills, self-advocacy, and confidence that must be explicitly taught and carefully practiced before students encounter them in the real world.

Community Man addresses this critical gap with 32 video-modeled scenarios that bring real-life community interactions into your classroom. Each lesson presents both correct and incorrect approaches, giving students a concrete visual model of what to do — and what to avoid — when navigating community services. Through realistic video modeling with real-life scenarios, students watch relatable characters handle situations at fire stations, police departments, pharmacies, and healthcare offices.

Rather than relying on abstract discussion, this program makes learning visible and concrete. Students see the consequences of different choices played out on screen, building the mental scripts they need before encountering these situations in real life. The accompanying teacher's guide provides structured discussion prompts, comprehension checks, and extension activities for every lesson, so educators can scaffold learning to meet each student's needs and ability level.

Designed for ages 16 and up, Community Man is ideal for transition programs, life-skills classrooms, and community-based instruction. The program is available through a Stanfield+ subscription, giving your team instant streaming access to all 32 lessons and the complete teacher's guide.

Across 32 lessons and over 3 hours of video content, Community Man builds practical skills in four essential community domains. Each unit uses paired video scenarios — showing both appropriate and inappropriate responses — so students can compare, discuss, and internalize the right approach before practicing in real-world settings.

Emergency Services

Students learn how to respond calmly during a fire emergency, including when and how to call 911, how to communicate clearly with a 911 dispatcher, and what to expect when firefighters arrive at the scene. Lessons cover fire safety basics, recognizing smoke detectors and alarms, evacuating a building safely, and cooperating with emergency responders. Students practice staying calm under pressure and providing clear, accurate information — skills that could genuinely save lives. The video scenarios also address common mistakes, such as re-entering a building or panicking on the phone, helping students recognize and avoid dangerous responses.

Law Enforcement

Interacting with police can be especially stressful for individuals with disabilities. This unit teaches students how to behave during a traffic stop, how to ask an officer for help, and how to respond if approached by police in a public setting. Video scenarios model respectful communication, appropriate body language, and knowing your rights while staying safe. Students learn the difference between a casual interaction and an official encounter, building confidence rather than fear. Lessons also cover what to do if students feel confused or scared during an interaction, including how to calmly explain a disability or ask for clarification.

Medical & Health

Healthcare visits are a lifelong necessity, yet many students have never navigated one independently. This unit covers checking in at a doctor's office, describing symptoms accurately to medical staff, following medical instructions, and understanding basic health information. Students watch characters model how to answer a nurse's questions, sit patiently for an examination, and ask clarifying questions about diagnoses or treatments — skills that promote health literacy and self-advocacy. Additional lessons address managing anxiety in waiting rooms and understanding the importance of regular preventive care.

Community Navigation — Pharmacy

The pharmacy unit teaches students how to drop off and pick up prescriptions, communicate with a pharmacist, understand medication labels, and ask questions about dosage or side effects. These lessons emphasize the importance of personal responsibility for medications and the social skills needed to navigate a pharmacy counter independently. Students also learn what information to have ready and how to handle common complications like insurance questions, medication substitutions, or prescription refills. The scenarios build toward full independence in managing one's own medication routine.

Every lesson includes a comprehensive teacher's guide with discussion questions, vocabulary support, and suggestions for role-play practice, helping educators extend the video modeling into active, engaging classroom learning experiences.

After completing Community Man, students will have a practical toolkit for navigating their communities with greater safety and independence. They will understand how to interact appropriately with police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists — encounters that are unavoidable in adult life and essential for true community participation.

Students will demonstrate increased confidence in emergency situations, knowing how to call for help, provide essential information clearly, and follow instructions from first responders without panic. They will be better prepared for independent healthcare management, including attending medical appointments, describing symptoms, and handling prescriptions on their own.

Perhaps most importantly, students will have developed the social scripts and self-advocacy skills needed to feel less anxious and more empowered in public settings. Teachers consistently report that students reference these video scenarios long after the lessons end, applying what they learned to real-world encounters with community professionals.

Community Man is available as part of a Stanfield+ subscription, which provides unlimited streaming access for your classroom along with the complete teacher's guide. It pairs well with other Stanfield transition programs for a comprehensive life-skills curriculum that prepares students for the community interactions they will face every day.