Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VR-RRTC)
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston and its partners, the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy and InfoUse, are pleased to announce the receipt of a five year Cooperative Agreement from the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) of the U. S. Department of Education to develop a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Vocational Rehabilitation (VR-RRTC).
download the original proposal(PDF, 923K)
The VR-RRTC will conduct research addressing the employment service delivery structures for individuals with disabilities, investigate “best practices” in certain critical areas, and provide training and technical assistance directed at improving VR services and employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
The partners will:
- conduct a systematic literature review to provide a comprehensive platform for future research activities of the VR-RRTC and for other researchers and policy-makers;
- collect descriptive data from a wide range of sources including existing administrative datasets, official documents, and the VR-RRTC survey of state VR agencies, state MR/DD agencies, state MH agencies, state welfare agencies, and community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) to develop state by state profiles of employment services and the context of VR service delivery;
- interview VR directors of all 80 VR agencies to collect descriptive information about key characteristics related to operational and programmatic decisions, policies, and practices;
- identify, evaluate, and describe best practices in the implementation of a) Order of Selection policies and the prioritization of individuals with the most significant disabilities; b) employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities; and c) employment services for individuals with mental illnesses;
- institute a training and technical assistance agenda to create interactive participant-driven opportunities for translation of best practices, information sharing, and policy development and
- widely disseminate products, curricula, and knowledge throughout the VR system, employment services system, and various disability and advocacy organizations
Partners:
- Robert “Bobby” Silverstein, JD, Director of the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy.
- Susan Stoddard, PhD, FAICP, Founder and President of InfoUse
Project Director: John Halliday
