Exciting New Vocational Rehabilitation Projects Expand ICI’s Research and Training Efforts
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has been a leader in vocational rehabilitation (VR) research, training, and technical assistance for decades. In recent years, our VR- related work has largely focused on leadership development, Progressive Employment, apprenticeships, career pathways, and employer engagement. This year, ICI’s VR research team has received several new awards from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration to expand our work.
The American Indian Rural Youth Apprenticeship Development Project
Youth with disabilities in rural, tribal communities face compounding barriers to accessing and benefiting from apprenticeship programs. This year, the ICI, in partnership with the Institute for New England Native American Studies at UMass Boston and the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center at Northern Arizona University, has expanded our Rural Youth Apprenticeship Development project to promote the development of pre-apprenticeships programs for American Indian and Alaska Native youth with disabilities. Knowledge Translation Manager DeBrittany Mitchell Humphrey and Associate Director Julisa Cully will lead this work.
The Rapid Engagement Coordinated Team Approach (RETA)
In partnership with Mathematica Policy Research, ICI researchers developed the evidence base for the Rapid Engagement Team Approach (RETA) through the ICI’s Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) project. As a model, RETA was specifically created to improve employment re-entry and wage outcomes of social security disability insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries by reducing waiting times for VR services and working with a coordinated team of professionals. ICI researchers found RETA to be an effective way to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce. With the new award, ICI Senior Research Associate Allison Taylor and Senior Policy Fellow Russ Thelin will work with state VR agencies to expand RETA and enhance VR services to people who receive SSDI.
The ImpactVR Training Program
Clinical supervision for VR counselors is essential to help enhance VR counselor competence and reduce burnout, which leads to better outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. With this new award, ICI Senior Policy Fellow Russ Thelin will lead the ImpactVR Training Program, a first-of-its-kind VR supervisor training program that uses progressive knowledge acquisition and integration to improve supervisor-counselor relationships. Better supervisor-counselor relationships increase VR counselors’ confidence, staff retention, quality VR services, and ultimately, better employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities.
Innovative Guided Rehabilitation Employer Engagement Training (iGREET) 2.0
The ICI’s Program on Innovative Rehabilitation Training on Employer Engagement (PIRTEE) developed iGREET to helps improve the VR system’s capacity to engage employers by creating and delivering innovative training for the VR system, community rehabilitation providers, and faculty in academic VR counseling programs. With this new award, ICI Associate Director Julisa Cully will expand the iGREET to reach a wider VR audience as well as community rehabilitation provider (CRP) staff. This enhanced training will lead to better business engagement and higher-quality employment options for job seekers with disabilities.
Stay tuned for updates on these exciting new initiatives!