Job-Driven VRTAC

This ExploreVR webinar is for current and future VR leaders who want to discuss leadership-level engagement in the VR agencies' use of Labor Market Information (LMI). This topic is increasingly important given the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

Topics include:

• The role of LMI in planning processes,
• Creating LMI partnerships/collaborations,
• Obtaining buy-in from VR counselors in fully using LMI tools, and
• LMI data and information technology needs. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation: LMI for VR Leadership in the Age of WIOA: A View from the Top Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: LMI for VR Leadership in the Age of WIOA: A View from the Top 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. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Demand-Side Strategies (Demand-Side RRTC) is housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133B120002.

Vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) play an essential role in facilitating reasonable accommodation outcomes between job-seekers/employees and employers. In individual cases, the VRC can help build the job-seeker/employee’s confidence in requesting reasonable accommodation. For employers making commitments toward more diverse and inclusive workplaces, the VRC can serve as a collaborative partner to meet those goals. 

Part II of this two-part webinar will cover examples and case studies showing how the VRC can maximize successful outcomes (e.g., number of 26 closures) by collaborating with applicants/employees and employers. Building relationships with your clients and employers may not only pay off in numbers—you may find yourself with more energy at the end of every work day!

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Reasonable Accommodations Process: Part 2 Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Reasonable Accommodations Process: Part 2 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. 

Vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) play an essential role in facilitating reasonable accommodation outcomes between job-seekers/employees and employers. In individual cases, the VRC can help build the job-seeker/employee’s confidence in requesting reasonable accommodation. For employers making commitments toward more diverse and inclusive workplaces, the VRC can serve as a collaborative partner to meet those goals. 

Part 1 of this two-part webinar will offer an overview about what a VRC needs to know about reasonable accommodation under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Participants will learn how to coach qualified individuals with disabilities to facilitate an open and honest dialogue with potential and current employers. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation: The Reasonable Accommodations Process Part 1 Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: The Reasonable Accommodations Process Part 1 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. 

This webinar will feature two presenters, Kathy Powers, Vice-President of Services at ORION Industries in Auburn, WA, and and Kelly Walling, Partner Resources Associate Sr. at the Carson Valley Roasting Plant & Distribution Center, one of Starbucks Coffee Company’s largest plants in Carson City, NV. 

ORION and Starbucks are committed to workforce diversity and inclusion. Both companies have linkages with their state vocational rehabilitation agencies and with employers in the communities they serve. Each presenter will discuss their company's innovative training programs, and they will conclude by taking questions from webinar participants.  

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Job-Driven Customized Training: Exploring Innovative Models Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Job-Driven Customized Training: Exploring Innovative Models 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.

This webinar will provide Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies with an overview of the National Employment Team (NET) and the Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP). Kathleen West-Evans, Director of Business Relations at the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, will discuss how the NET and TAP are building relationships with businesses that contribute to career planning and VR employment outcomes. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation: How Does the Dual Customer Approach Support VR Employment Outcomes? Powerpoint (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Does the Dual Customer Approach Support VR Employment Outcomes? 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. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Demand-Side Strategies (Demand-Side RRTC) is housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133B120002.

This webinar will examine the value of Labor Market Information (LMI) as it applies to national workforce job-driven initiatives around preparing youth and adults with disabilities for work. This presentation will focus on how vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies use LMI throughout various levels of the agency to inform their work with consumers and businesses. Presenters will define and discuss the impacts of traditional and real-time LMI, as well as LMI gathered from the field.  

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Introduction to Labor Market Information (LMI) in a Job-Driven Economy PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Introduction to Labor Market Information (LMI) in a Job-Driven Economy 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. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Demand-Side Strategies (Demand-Side RRTC) is housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The center and its webinars are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133B120002.

This webinar will define the concept of Customized Training (CT) as it applies to national workforce job-driven initiatives around preparing youth and adults with disabilities for work. This presentation will focus on current VR Customized Training models and practices that demonstrate VR collaboration with employers and other community partners. These partnerships and training programs help to fulfill employer or industry needs for skilled workers and can provide positive employment opportunities for VR consumers. 

Download the Powerpoint presentation: Introduction to Customized Training in a Job-Driven Economy PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)

All ExploreVR webinars are live captioned: Introduction to Customized Training in a Job-Driven Economy 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. 

The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston hosts the Job Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (JD-VRTAC) funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). We will be releasing a request for participation (RFP) for state vocational rehabilitation agencies to participate in intensive technical assistance (TA) on job driven strategies as part of the center. The RFP is open to all 80 VR agencies nationally. The TA will be based upon research-supported and emerging promising practices that have been shown to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities, both on a state-by-state and a national level.

During the webinar, the speakers provide their rationale for the RFP and give highlights of the technical assistance activities and the RFP process.