Foundation Programs

Access Academy
The IAABC Foundation Access Academy provides high-quality education to incarcerated people working in dog training programs.
Prison training programs provide an opportunity for incarcerated people to learn the skill of dog training, and to work with animals in ways that increase the chances of successful adoption for those dogs, either as pets or assistance animals. However, few opportunities exist for these incarcerated people to learn more about the trade and to understand the science behind what they’re doing when they train – why some things “work” and why some things “don’t.”
Many prison training programs are staffed by hard-working, dedicated trainers spending innumerable hours creating their own education with limited resources and varying levels of education themselves.
Access Academy provides support to those professionals by offering prison training programs free booklets, other materials, and virtual, online lectures by world-class educators working in the animal behavior and training field. Primary and continuing education is tracked within the Foundation’s databases, and additional educational opportunities are added on an ongoing basis. T
his provides continued advancement of skills and understanding in order to facilitate a fair and genuine opportunity for prisoners within prison dog training programs to be eligible, knowledgeable candidates for jobs in the training industry.