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Upcoming Free Webinar from
The RRTC on VR Practices and Youth
VR Counselor Transition Practices in "High Performing" States
February 27, 2018, 2:00pm to 3:00pm EST
Presented by Rich Luecking & Ellen Fabian - University of Maryland
We solicited feedback from VR counselors in 13 state VR agencies which produced the highest VR success rates for the population of youth ages 16 to 24 across a five- year period, regarding their transition practices for in and out of school youth. Based on survey results from 538 respondents, we describe their perceptions on the importance of effective transition practices, and their preparation to perform them.
This webinar will: (1) summarize the results of this study within the context of existing research and the
Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act of 2014 (
WIOA); (2) offer recommendations and implications for transition-related policy and practice; and (3) describe some next steps in improving transition-related practices of VR counselors.
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Publication Highlights
University of Maryland
WIOA emphasizes the delivery of transition-related services to youth with disabilities. This emphasis has required state VR agencies (SVRAs) to shift resources for the provision of services with the intent to improve successful employment outcomes for this population. Although much is cited in the transition-related literature regarding best practices to improve post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities (e.g., Haber et al., 2016), inadequate attention has been paid to vocational rehabilitation counselor skills and practices needed to comply with the mandates of WIOA and improve youth outcomes in VR. This study surveyed VR counselors in 13 high performing SVRA's to rate the importance of transition-related skills and practices, and their preparation to undertake these activities.
To
view
the article:
Think College
The National Coordinating Center (NCC) at Think College, funded by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, provides support, coordination, training, and evaluation for Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) model demonstration project grantees. These TPSID grantees were tasked with creating, expanding, or enhancing high-quality, inclusive postsecondary education (PSE) programs to support positive outcomes for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) (e.g., educational attainment, employment, and community inclusion). The NCC has collected data on student demographics, experiences, and outcomes, as well as TPSID program attributes, including partnerships with external organizations such as VR agencies.
View the Fast Fact:
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Coming Soon - Online Seminars
The RRTC on VR Practices and Youth is working on an innovative series of online seminars designed to provide short, web-based trainings to VR counselors and other people involved in youth VR services and employment. Each training will be approximately 30 minutes long, and will provide the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion for users. Be on the lookout for this exciting, ever expanding series of trainings on the RRTC on VR Practices and Youth website.
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Partner Resource - Mathematica VR Program Evaluation Coach
Are your services having the desired outcome in your agency?
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program Evaluation Coach helps you securely evaluate changes in your agency's policies, programs, and services so that you can make better, more informed decisions and improve outcomes for your clients
Testing your services is more important than you think.
The VR Program Evaluation Coach is a powerful tool that helps you analyze your own data to evaluate your agency's services and answer important questions such as:
- How can I test new ideas?
- Does a new program lead to outcomes that my agency and our clients want?
- Are we getting what we paid for?
The VR Coach can help you answer these questions and more in 5 easy steps. Check out the VR Coach to get the evidence you need to make informed decisions about services in your agency.
Get started using the VR Program Evaluation Coach!
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Upcoming Partner Events
Mathematica Forum
Recent federal policy changes require VR agencies to increase services for youth and students transitioning into adulthood. On April 26, 2018, 12:00 p.m. (EST), the Center for Studying Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research will host a live webinar to discuss the experiences of state VR agencies in serving transition-age youth. A panel of experts will present and discuss:
- Perceptions of VR counselors from agencies with the strongest transition outcomes on the importance of distinct transition practices, ways to perform them, and common barriers to implementing them
- A case study on effective partnerships between VR and higher education programs for students with intellectual disability and autism.
- Early implementation experiences of VR agencies regarding pre-employment transition services
The panel will include:
- Todd Honeycutt (Moderator), Mathematica Policy Research
- Rich Luecking, University of Maryland
- Meg Grigal, Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts
- Purvi Sevak, Mathematica Policy Research
CSAVR
CSAVR
will
hold
its
spring
2018
Conference
at
the
Hyatt Regency
in
Bethesda Maryland
from
Saturday
,
April
7th
to
Wednesday
,
April
11
th
, 2018.
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Other Events
NTACT CBI
It's never too early to begin pulling your state team together. The 2018 NTACT Capacity Building Institute for interdisciplinary state teams will be held in Denver, CO from May 15 through 17, 2018. Mark your calendars! Continue to check for updates to the agenda, the CBI App, and specific presentation titles under "Events" at
www.transitionta.org.
National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) Conference
The National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) will hold its annual spring conference in Anaheim, CA on March 13-15, 2018. The purpose of the NCRE conference is to promote the improvement of rehabilitation services available to people with disabilities through quality education and research. Conference information can be found at
https://ncre.org/spring-2018-conference/.
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Contact Us Directly With Your Questions
The RRTC on VR Practices and Youth provides research, training, and technical assistance aimed at improving the lives of transition-age youth with disabilities, by improving the VR services delivered to them. If you don't find the information you are looking for on our web site, please feel free to contact us directly and we will help connect you to the appropriate content expert.
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Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living,
Grant Number: 90RT5034-02-01
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