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This Month the NCRTM Features...
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Of particular interest to VR leaders, managers, administrators, and counselors
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This October, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) with the launch of a new version of the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) website. Read the official announcement from RSA.
To get a first-hand look at the new website, NCRTM hosted a YouTube Premiere Launch Party. This recorded launch party includes remarks from RSA leadership, a tour the new website, and shares details about the exciting future direction of the NCRTM. A short video overview of the new version of the website is available. Both recordings include captions and ASL interpreting.
The website improvements simplify and enhance navigation, continue to meet user needs, grow the NCRTM audience, and contribute to the vocational rehabilitation field. Information and resources have been compiled specifically for individuals with disabilities and businesses. Users can find library materials and resources through improved search and filter functionality, view information in a straightforward clean layout, and easily share information with colleagues via email or social media.
Feedback on the new design is encouraged and can be submitted via the NCRTM Feedback Survey. Questions and suggestions can also be submitted via the NCRTM Contact Us form.
The National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) is maintained by New Editions Consulting, Inc. and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), under Contract No. 91990021C0033.
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The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) partners with the Administration for Community Living’s Administration on Disabilities (AoD) and other Federal partners to improving competitive integrated employment and economic outcomes for individuals with an array of abilities.
The AoD funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC) that provides evidence-based technical assistance to eligible AoD grantees. Several DETAC resources listed below may prove useful for VR professionals working with individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
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RSA is pleased to share that the FFY 2022 Annual Performance Report for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program (RSA-7-OB) and the FFY 2022 Annual Report on Appeals Process (RSA-722) are available for submission in the RSAMIS. For important information related to RSAMIS accounts and reporting instructions, please visit the Technical Support webpage. As a reminder, these reports must be submitted by December 31, 2022. Please ensure now that the appropriate agency staff have the necessary permissions to submit the reports and do so by the required deadline. Please email nicole.jeffords@ed.gov if assistance is needed with a RSAMIS account or for questions related to submitting the RSA-7-OB report. Please email Caneshia.McAllister@ed.gov if assistance is needed with a RSAMIS account or for questions related to submitting the RSA-722 report.
RSA is pleased to share that the FFY 2022 Annual Client Assistance Program (CAP) Report (RSA-227) is available in the RSAMIS. As a reminder, the RSA-227 is due by December 30, 2022. Please ensure that the appropriate CAP agency staff have the necessary permissions to submit the RSA-227 and do so by the deadline. Please email April.Trice@ed.gov if assistance is needed with your RSAMIS account or for questions related to submitting the RSA-227 report.
RSA reminds VR agencies and State Rehabilitation Councils (SRCs) that the annual SRC report is due to RSA and the State Governor by December 30, 2022. Please submit the report via email to your RSA State Liaison and copy RSA’s SRC Liaison, Jason.Hunter@ed.gov.
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In recognition of the important role people with disabilities play in a diverse and inclusive American workforce, the theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2022 is “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.” Observed annually in October, NDEAM celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.
Ideas to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month:
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Of particular interest to general audiences
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National Disability Institute (NDI) welcomed individuals with disabilities to its inaugural national virtual convening on October 25 and 26, 2022. This groundbreaking event brought together entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities, as well as entrepreneurial support organizations, policymakers, financial institutions, and disability advocates from across the country.
All sessions were recorded. Registered users have the ability to access the event platform and view sessions for 90 days after the end of the virtual event. Additionally, recordings of all the sessions will be available on the Disability Owned TV channel. Read more about the inaugural national virtual convening.
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NCRTM is excited to partner with the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) to provide an upcoming webinar on Tuesday, 11/08/22, from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm EST to share Strategies to Address Transportation Challenges for individuals with disabilities.
Transportation challenges impede the ability of individuals to access education, jobs, health care, and community opportunities. However, Federal policy, administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), called the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) creates an impetus for shared partnerships and braided funding across rehabilitation, health, human services, and transportation sectors. This webinar will provide attendees with an overview of strategies, such as the active role of mobility management networks, that can be implemented to address transportation barriers. Join Dr. Judy Shanley, an Easterseals partner in the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), to learn about technical assistance to assist rehabilitation professionals to identify mobility management resources and funding, and to facilitate connections with mobility and transportation resources nationally and in your state.
The webinar will include ASL interpreting. Register for Strategies to Address Transportation Challenges.
The National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) is maintained by New Editions Consulting, Inc. and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), under Contract No. 91990021C0033.
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Of particular interest to general audiences
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Of particular interest to individuals with disabilities and their family members, VR counselors, and service providers
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Orientation to Self-Employment and Telecommuting for Vocational Rehabilitation is a 4-hour online curriculum for rehabilitation educators and their counseling students that was developed by the Center on Self-Employment, Business Ownership, and Telecommuting, a Rehabilitation Services Administration’s Innovative Rehabilitation Training Program grantee, with best practices in the field.
The curriculum is comprised of four modules that provide counseling students an overview of self-employment and telecommuting options, the benefits of using these approaches, and steps rehabilitation counselors can take to support people with disabilities to pursue these employment outcomes. Read more about the curriculum.
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The LGBTQ+ and Disability series was created by the Center for Innovative Training in Vocational Rehabilitation (CIT-VR) as part of the Innovation Training Program to increase knowledge and skills of VR professionals and paraprofessionals to create inclusive environments for job seekers who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, with the ultimate goals of increasing active participation in the VR process and improve competitive lead to better employment outcomes. To date the LGBTQ+ and Disability Training Series is one of the most viewed training series in the CIT-VR library of on-demand webinars.
The training series is already having an impact on helping State VR agencies better support LGBTQ+ customers, including the designing inclusive agency forms, developing capacity for LGBTQ+ customers, and leveraging the CRC Code of Ethics. Read more about Big Impacts for the LGBTQ+ and Disability Training Series.
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The American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC) recently released the VR Process Handbook. The VR Process Handbook contains all of the VR Process information including tools and checklists in an easily accessible and printable format. This is an informative tool to assist new counselors or rehabilitation counseling students become familiar with the steps of the VR Process.
Learn more by visiting AIVRTTAC’s website or by following AIVRTTAC on Facebook.
AIVRTTAC (PR/Award Number H250Z210001) is a grant funded by RSA.
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The U.S. Depart of Education Office of Educational Technology’s (OET) recently released a new publication, Advancing Digital Equity for All: Community-based Recommendations for Developing Effective Digital Equity Plans to Close the Digital Divide and Enable Technology-Empowered Learning. This guide was the result of OET’s Digital Equity Education Roundtables (DEER) Initiative. Through DEER, OET hosted a series of national conversations with leaders, including learners and family members, representing communities furthest from digital opportunities, to learn more about the barriers they face and promising solutions for increasing access to technology for learning.
To accompany this resource, OET also provided several additional tools to support its findings:
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The Innovative Guided Rehabilitation Employer Engagement Training (iGREET) series, developed through RSA Grant number H263C190012, offers an online self-paced course launching on October 31, 2022. The course will be available for three months and participants have the option to complete any of the four modules or the entire course. CRCs will be offered for each module and a certificate of completion will be issued to those who complete the entire course. Read more about the Innovative Guided Rehabilitation Employer Engagement Training (iGREET) series.
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The Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center on Quality Management (VRTAC-QM) and the Center for Innovative Training for Vocational Rehabilitation (CIT-VR) collaborated to produce a new training, Onboarding: Lessons Learned and a Path Forward. The training is intended for supervisors and managers in State VR agencies to provide an overview of the importance of onboarding for new employees in order to enhance their knowledge and skills. This training is part of the supervisory series. Read more about Onboarding: Lessons Learned and a Path Forward.
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