FALL 2008 CCER NEWSLETTER

CCER Moves to UWDawg2color.gif

As of July 16 2008, CCER staff and programs became part of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington! This includes the General RCEP, the CRP RCEP, the Leadership Institute, and DBTAC Northwest - and our proposed new projects like the NW Technical Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) Center.

We are very excited about the move, and feel there will be terrific opportunities to integrate our efforts with what's already happening at UW - things like research in Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Burns, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Pain Management, and Rehabilitation Outcomes. Other UW partners will include the Center for Technology and Disability Studies, the Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Science, and the Employment Training Program which provides job placement and support to people with disabilities.

In return, our new UW colleagues are enthusiastic about our regional connections and our technical assistance and training expertise. This new affiliation will also allow us to develop new projects and approaches in support of our core mission.  We will miss Dr. Beth Boland (Swett) and Alexa Burns, who will remain with the Master's Program in Rehabilitation Counseling at WWU and who have moved into new offices in Everett.  Both will remain valued colleagues and partners.

Here’s how the move was announced in the recent Rehabilitation Medicine Newsletter:

“CCER JOINS THE UW DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE

The Center for Continuing Education in Rehabilitation (CCER), formerly at Western Washington University, has joined the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. CCER is dedicated to increasing access to employment, independent living, and civil rights for people with disabilities. The primary focus has been providing technical assistance and continuing education to rehabilitation professionals in Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. CCER works closely with State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and their partners such as Community Rehabilitation Programs, Centers for Independent Living, and State Rehabilitation Councils. CCER has also been involved in national projects involving American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation, Leadership Development, and Social Security/Ticket to Work. In 2006, CCER also became the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) for the northwest region. Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, the Center provides information and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to businesses, governments, schools, people with disabilities, and anyone else who needs information about the ADA.”

Save the dates!

Vendor Qualification Sessions coming to your area!

CCER and the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) are partnering to establish a Preferred Provider List of qualified Job Development specialists to work with DSB participants to assist them in achieving successful employment outcomes.   Individual Job Developers will be qualified for the PPL list of venders with DSB in all areas of the state.  Preferred Providers will be the first choice of referral for DSB participants to Job Development Services.

“Understanding Blindness for Successful Employment Outcomes”

These one-day training sessions will assist vendors to understand:

  • The wide range of abilities of people with blindness and low vision
  • How people are able to work using a variety of strategies and tailored accommodations
  • Low and high tech accommodations
  • Employer questions and answers

And much....much....more!

Vendors will have a chance to explore everything they wanted to know about blindness, but were afraid to ask. The session will also focus on methods to establish an effective working relationship between the person with the disability, the DSB counselor, and the vendor in order to maximize the likelihood of getting a job that fits the goals of each.

Each individual who completes this one day session will receive a certificate of completion from CCER.  Individuals who complete the entire qualification process will become preferred providers.  This preference will apply only to the individual participant, not his/her agency.

These one day sessions will be repeated at least 7 times in multiple regions of the state.  The tentative schedule is as follows:

Tacoma November 13
Vancouver January 13
Everett January 27
Seattle February 10
Spokane February 24
Yakima March 10
Olympia March 24

Specific locations will be announced when they are set.  All sessions begin at 9:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM.

For registration information please contact:

If you have any questions about the DSB Preferred Provider List and qualifications process, contact:
  • Mark Adreon, Communication & Employer Consultant,
  • e-mail    -   maradreon@dsb.wa.gov
  • phone   -   (206) 721-6410

 

US Business Leadership Network Annual Conference

http://www.newworkforceconference.org/

The US Business Leadership Network’s (USBLN) 11th Annual Conference and National Career Fair will be held in Portland, Oregon on October 5-8, 2008 at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel.

The 2008 conference, “Expanding Inclusion: The Business Strategy” is the preeminent national event for business, community leaders and BLN chapters that have an interest in hiring, retention and marketing to people with disabilities.

  • Over 40 Educational Sessions, including Keynotes, a SuperTrack of sessions by the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), and Career Fair programs.

  • A National Career Fair with over 20 Fortune 500 Companies participating, plus many small businesses from the Pacific Northwest.

  • Attendance of over 400 business and community leaders.

  • Pre-conference sessions - Youth to Work Coalition, Assistive Technology Forum and BLN Strategic Planning.

  • 2008 Exceptional Leadership Awards.

  • Networking opportunities throughout the conference.

The 2008 conference includes Concurrent Educational Sessions on:

Diversity, Disability & Corporate Culture – Learn how to change corporate culture by expanding diversity and including disability in the workforce.

Hidden Disabilities and the Workplace – What’s a hidden disability? Learn how to work with employees with “hidden” disabilities to harness their full potential.

Tapping into Talent - Veterans, Older Workers and More – These sessions will assist employers in providing returning veterans the opportunity to reenter the workforce and retain our aging workforce that experiences disability and desire to remain in the workforce.

Emerging Practices & Technology – Learn from your peers on emerging practices & technology for engaging employers, creating opportunities and enhancing productivity.

Youth Employment Development – Learn how to proactively recruit and retain students in internships, mentoring programs and career opportunities.

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) SuperTrack - Please join senior JAN Consultants and invited national experts for this dynamic two-day SuperTrack of trainings designed to effectively increase participants' practical knowledge and skills regarding reasonable accommodation solutions and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). JAN is the nation’s premiere resource for building your inclusive workplace!

30 Minute Lessons for Training Your Staff

30 Minute Lessons are self contained curriculum packages you can use to train your own staff, or to improve your own knowledge.  They are designed to take about half an hour to work through; some have additional exercises or information that can be used to extend the lesson.

30 Minute Lessons are designed primarily for use by a facilitator working with any number of participants.  Facilitators need not necessarily be knowledgeable or experienced in the given topic!  There are facilitator guidelines included in the facilitator version of each lesson.The lessons on specific disabilities may also be used in non-facilitated groups, or for self-study.

Current disability topics include Aspergers, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Disabilities, Epilepsy, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, Learning Disabilities, Personality Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injury.Job development topics include Talking to Employers: the Fear Factor; Using Job Analysis; Job Seeker Profiles; and The Matching Process.

To use these lessons, just go to the CCER website; click on the topic and version that interests you; print an original; and make as many copies as you need.  Click here to see the lessons on specific disabilities; click here to go to the lessons on job development.  You will need an Adobe reader to access them (download for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).

You are also welcome to modify or customize the lessons to make them more useful to your agency.  If you’d like a copy of a lesson in Word format, please email Laurie Ford at lhf4@u.washington.edu.

Lori Magnuson and Andy

After Eleven Years at CCER,

Andy Moves On

Popular CCER staff member Andy Magnuson has moved to Iowa City in the company of his human, Lori Magnuson, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education at the University of Iowa.  "I tried to talk her out of it," Andy panted, "but she gets a little restless if she stays in one place too long.  After all, before coming to CCER in 1997 as part of the new CRP RCEP staff she had worked at the PEP Project, Washington CAP, and Tacoma Goodwill.  Even at CCER she moved from the CRP RCEP to the Special Demonstration DSP Project, and then to the General RCEP.  And they say dogs have a short attention span!"

Andy's duties as the lead office dog were primarily behind the scenes while Lori presented the public face of their partnership.  The Region X Rehabilitation community will miss Lori's workshops on topics such as Ethics, Working with Consumer Families, Motivational Interviewing, and Resiliance; and the CCER staff will miss them both.  The report so far is that classes are exciting and they love their new house, despite the heat and humidity of an Iowa summer.  We'll keep you posted.