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Archived Webinars

Explore VR features a number of free webinars related to vocational rehabilitation (VR). Webinars allow participants and presenters to interact in real time, allowing for two-way interaction. Webinar participation is completely online and allows organizations and individuals to communicate and share resources, despite barriers of geographic location. View the archived webinars below.

Using LMI to Improve Client Employment Outcomes: Connecticut BESB's JD-VRTAC Project 

Presenters: 
Mary Burgard, Julie McLean, and Jonathan Richmond
Date/Time [EST]: 
12/21/2017 - 12:00pm
Description 

Connecticut Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB), in collaboration with JD-VRTAC, improved client employment outcomes by training vocational rehabilitation counselors to use Labor Market Information (LMI) to enhance clients’ educational and career pathways. During the past year and a half, VR leadership researched and identified LMI tools, provided staff professional development on LMI data, and created a Career Index Plus training system to help clients independently research potential careers and employment opportunities. This webinar will discuss Connecticut BESB's JD-VRTAC project assessment, implementation, accomplishments, and the planned next steps to sustain program improvements. As a result of this project, Connecticut BESB has increased business confidence in hiring clients.

Download the Connecticut BESB client Career Index Plus letter

Download the Connecticut BESB LMI Survey (PDF)

Download the Connecticut BESB PowerPoint Slides (PPT) 

Download the webinar transcript (TXT) 

The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002

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Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Developing Career Pathways for VR Clients: Delaware DVR's Job-Driven Project

Presenters: 
Stanley Mifflin & Jocelyn Langrehr
Date/Time [EST]: 
11/09/2017 - 1:00pm
Description 
Delaware DVR (DDVR) received JD-VRTAC technical assistance to create a statewide approach for developing Individual Plans for Employment (IPEs) that focus on career pathways. Career pathways emphasize an interconnected sequence of educational coursework and work experience that aligns with employer validated competencies and certifications. 
 
This Delaware DVR webinar describes DDVR's participation with JD-VRTAC to develop and implement career pathways for staff and consumers. Presenters from DDVR will also discuss  a Career Pathways Toolkit their team developed and posted on their intranet for DDVR staff.
The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.
 
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Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Innovating Services, Improving Outcomes: A VR Model for Serving SSDI Clients

Presenters: 
Mathematica, ICI, and CSAVR
Date/Time [EST]: 
09/28/2017 - 1:00pm
Description 
As the main source of job services for people with disabilities, state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies have the potential to help people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) become more independent and economically successful. But recent research suggests that VR services for these individuals could be improved. Although SSDI beneficiaries who receive VR services see their earnings increase, only a small share earn enough to leave the disability rolls.
 
To this end, the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Mathematica Policy Research received a grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration to develop the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Project Demonstration. This demonstration focused on improving employment outcomes for state VR clients who receive SSDI.
 
Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy hosted this webinar featuring a panel of experts. The panel discussed the experiences of VR agencies in Kentucky and Minnesota that implemented the SGA Project innovations, which were designed to help beneficiaries prepare for and find jobs with earnings high enough to leave the disability rolls.
 
Presenters:
  • Gina Livermore, moderator (Mathematica)
  • Susan Foley (Institute for Community Inclusion)
  • Joe Marrone (Institute for Community Inclusion)
  • Purvi Sevak (Mathematica)
  • Todd Honeycutt (Mathematica)
  • Steve Wooderson, discussant (Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation) 
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Project 
Substantial Gainful Activity Project

Engaging Businesses from a Blindness Perspective: New Jersey’s Development of a Business Relations Unit

Presenters: 
Amanda Gerson, New Jersey CBVI
Date/Time [EST]: 
10/25/2017 - 2:00pm
Description 

Over the past 2 years, with assistance from the JD-VRTAC, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) has developed a 4-person Business Relations Unit (BRU) dedicated to engaging and serving business as a primary customer, coordinating and providing trainings and technical assistance, organizing targeted hiring events, and facilitating a talent pipeline from one of NJ’s untapped talent pools. By providing a range of services to NJ businesses, our goals are to increase awareness, eliminate misconceptions and stigma around blindness, and reduce barriers to employment for persons with vision impairments. Complementing the developing of the BRU was an additional project goal with a focus on business: to implement strategic training initiatives on the use of Labor Market Information (LMI) as a counseling tool by VR Counselors to facilitate greater informed choice by CBVI consumers. In this webinar, Amanda Gerson from CBVI will discuss the goals of the project, lessons learned, and the successes of participation in the JD-VRTAC Learning Collaborative.

Download the Presentation (PDF) 

Download the Transcript (WORD)

The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.
Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Building Blocks of Registered Apprenticeship (RA): A Deep Dive into RA Implementation

Presenters: 
Geri Scott, Mark Genua, and Elizabeth St. Clair
Date/Time [EST]: 
08/23/2017 - 1:00pm
Description 

Geri Scott, Director of Jobs for the Future; Mark Genua, Apprenticeship Program Director at Philadelphia Works; and Elizabeth St. Clair, Apprenticeship Director, at the Urban Technology Project will discuss the key components of Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs. On this webinar, presenters explained:

  • Core components of Registered Apprenticeships;
  • How RA's are implemented;
  • Suggestions for developing RA models that meet the needs of people with disabilities;
  • Key RA implementation challenges;
  • Tips for RA program replication; and
  • The role VR agencies can play in RA programs.

Download the powerpoint presentation slides [PDF]

Download the webinar transcript [DOC]

The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.
Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation Business Engagement: Success, Setbacks, & Lessons Learned

Presenters: 
Tracey Frye and Lisa Hinson-Hatz, New Hampshire VR
Date/Time [EST]: 
09/26/2017 - 1:00pm
Description 
This ExploreVR job-driven webinar will focus on New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation's successes, setbacks, and lessons learned from their JD-VRTAC project on developing a business engagement structure. Tracey Frye from New Hampshire VR will discuss:
  • the process for creating their Business Engagement structure;
  • steps they took to prepare the field to engage business; and
  • unique barriers they encountered when integrating the Business Engagement Unit into the field. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation [PPT]

Download the captions [RTF]


The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.
Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Customized Employment: Exploring Opportunities with a Dual Customer Approach

Presenters: 
Lindy Foley and Paige Rose, Nebraska VR
Date/Time [EST]: 
07/06/2017 - 2:00pm
Description 

With the support of the JD-VRTAC technical assistance grant, Nebraska VR has initiated staff training on customized employment with a focus on business networking, job analysis, development and negotiation. During this webinar, Paige Rose and Lindy Foley of Nebraska VR will highlight lessons learned from the grant and efforts to align this work with other state and federal initiatives.

The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.
 
 
Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

The JDVRTAC Project in Illinois: "We're on a Mission"!

Presenters: 
John Marchioro, Illinois DRS
Date/Time [EST]: 
07/19/2017 - 1:00pm
Description 

This ExploreVR job-driven webinar will focus on Illinois Department of Rehabilitation's (DRS) journey through their JD-VRTAC project to develop a cohesive, strategic business relations structure. On this webinar, presenter John Marchioro will discuss Illinois DRS's rationale for the job-driven project as well as the project overview, communication, training components, how DRS incorporated internal and external resources, evaluation, and factors for sustainability. Illinois’ approach to business services utilizes existing staff in regional Business Engagement and Services Teams, unleashing the talent and dedication of counselors and Workforce partners.

Download the Slides [PDF]
Download the Business Relations Brochure [PDF]

 

The JD-VRTAC is a national center housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the US Department of Education under grant #H264A140002.

 

Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Customized Training: An Inclusive Employment Training Option in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practice

Presenters: 
Tiffany Smith and Neil McNeil
Date/Time [EST]: 
04/26/2017 - 2:00pm
Description 

The Langston University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities (Langston RRTC) and the Job-Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (JD-VRTAC) are presenting a webinar on how vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs serve people with disabilities through the use of Customized Training (CT) models. The presentation will focus on the challenges faced and benefits gained by people with disabilities from racial, ethnic, and other minority backgrounds participating in CT employment training programs. 

The objectives for this webinar are to:

  1. Identify and explore employment barriers that people with disabilities from racial and ethnic minorities and other diverse populations experience.
  2. Present CT practices and programs that demonstrate the benefits of CT for employment success.
  3. Identify outreach efforts that support the development of CT programs and inclusion of a diverse range of people with disabilities in CT. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Customized Training: An Inclusive Employment Training Option in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practice Powerpoint (PDF)

Download the list of resources and links mentioned in this webinar: Customized Training: An Inclusive Employment Training Option in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practice Resource List (Word)

Download the webinar transcript: Customized Training: An Inclusive Employment Training Option in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practice Transcript (Word)

Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC

Getting More People Employed in North Dakota: Improving Business Engagement and Utilizing Labor Market Information

Presenters: 
Brenda Vennes and Jeff Jenkins
Date/Time [EST]: 
02/22/2017 - 2:00pm
Description 

North Dakota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (NDDVR) is working to enhance partnerships with business by raising awareness of VR’s business services and how VR can help business with their employment needs. NDDVR is improving their use of labor market information (LMI) to advance clients’ understanding of the job market and potential for employment.

This webinar will explain NDDVR’s JD-VRTAC project regarding business engagement and the use of labor market information. In this webinar, NDDVR staff will discuss project goals, accomplishments, challenges, lessons learned, and what comes next for this project.

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Getting More People Employed in North Dakota: Improving Business Engagement and Utilizing Labor Market Information Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Getting More People Employed in North Dakota: Improving Business Engagement and Utilizing Labor Market Information Transcript (WORD)

Business Engagement at North Dakota DVR: 

  • Best Practice Guidelines for Business Engagement (PDF)
  • Business Engagement Rapid Response (PDF)
  • Business Engagement Bi-weekly Meeting Structure (PDF)
  • Governor's Conference Business Engagement Powerpoint Presentation (PDF) 
  • Society of Human Resource Management Business Engagement Powerpoint Presentation (PDF)

Using Labor Market Information at North Dakota DVR:

  • The Career Index Plus Guided Study (PDF)
  • O*Net Guided Study (PDF)
  • Career Exploration Lesson Plan (PDF)
  • LMI Worksheet Occupational Research Summary (Word) 
Go to archive
Project 
Job-Driven VRTAC