UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

REHABILITATION SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON, DC 20202

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

RSA-IM-04-03

DATE: January 16, 2004

ADDRESSEES: STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCIES (GENERAL)

> STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCIES (BLIND)

REGIONAL REHABILITATION CONTINUING EDUCATION

PROGRAMS

RSA REHABILITATION COUNSELING LONG-TERM TRAINING

PROJECTS

> STATE REHABILITATION COUNCILS
>
> CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

PROTECTION & ADVOCACY OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

PROGRAMS

> AMERICAN INDIAN VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION

PROGRAMS

CONSUMER ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS

RSA SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

SUBJECT : Call for Topics -- Thirty-First Institute on Rehabilitation
Issues (2004-2005)

CONTENT : This Information Memorandum (IM) is to request your assistance
in identifying topics for the Thirty-First Institute on Rehabilitation
Issues (IRI). The IRI originated as the Guidance, Training and Placement
(GTP) workshop in 1947 and since that time has evolved to be an activity
unique to the State-Federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program, in
which rehabilitation professionals and others with special expertise on
the topics selected for study, come together to discuss the issues and
to develop current and innovative training materials to improve the
skills of VR professionals. In this manner, the VR program is able to
develop timely publications containing cutting-edge solutions to some of
the most pressing challenges facing the rehabilitation field.

The basic purposes of the IRI are to identify and discuss current issues
of importance to the State-Federal VR program, and to publish materials
which can be used by persons responsible for staff development in the
State VR agencies, Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs
(RRCEP), Rehabilitation Counselor Long-Term Training Programs, and by
others concerned about staff development in rehabilitation. For many
years, the IRI topics have been of great importance as a technical
assistance resource to the rehabilitation community. The publications
resulting from the IRI are widely distributed to the State VR agencies,
State Rehabilitation Councils, RRCEPs, university rehabilitation
counselor degree programs and consumer groups.

On May 2, 2004, members of the IRI Planning Committee will discuss the
topics considered to be most relevant for study. This meeting occurs
immediately prior to the National IRI Forum, which will be held on May
3-4, 2004, at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Roslyn, Virginia. The
topics selected for study during the next IRI cycle will be announced at
the opening session of the Forum on Monday, May 3.

> The criteria used by the IRI Planning Committee to select the topics
> for study are:

1\. The topic is currently one of concern to a large number of State VR
agencies.

> 2\. It is a topic that can be completed within a year.

3\. There are recognized experts or a body of literature that will be
available to the primary study group.

Clearly, wide dissemination and utilization of the products resulting
from the IRI are the goals of all concerned. Approximately 3,500 copies
of each publication are printed, depending upon the level of interest
expressed. IRI publications are also placed on the university
coordinators' web sites, and are available from the National Clearing
House on Rehabilitation Training Materials. It is the goal of the IRI
Planning Committee to improve and enhance the use of the IRI
publications by VR practitioners in all rehabilitation settings, and to
ensure that the documents are meeting current training needs.

Attached is a list containing some of the IRI topics developed in recent
years. Also attached is the form which you may use when submitting
topics. **Please submit suggested topics no later than February 29,
2004, to Charles Sadler, the RSA IRI Coordinator.**

When submitting topics, please be sure that you have included sufficient
information on the form so that appropriate decisions on the selection
of topics can be made. After selecting the topics for study, the
Commissioner will assign one to each of the two university coordinators.

Membership on an IRI study group is both a privilege and an honor, and
we appreciate your continued interest and support of the IRI process.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Joanne Wilson

Commissioner

Attachments: Titles of Some Previous IRI Publications & Topic Suggestion
Form

cc: Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

> National Organization of Rehabilitation Partners

#   {#section .unnumbered}

# Titles of Some Previous IRI Publications

The following list contains examples of the types of topical areas that
have been studied by previous IRI study groups during the past twenty
years. The list is in chronological order with the most recent topics
appearing at the very end. Each title is followed by the abbreviation
for the university coordinator for the study group. The key for the
abbreviations is located at the end of the list.

1.  Rehabilitation of the Deaf-Blind Individual -- UAR

2.  Continuum of Services: School to Work -- UWS

3.  Supported Employment -- UAR

4.  Rehabilitation of Head Injured Clients -- UWS

5.  Rehabilitation and the Future -- WVU

6.  Rehabilitation Technology -- UWS

7.  Substantial Services -- WVU

8.  VR Counselor & Rehabilitation Today -- WVU

9.  Use of Vocational Evaluation in VR -- UWS

10. Future Work Place: Implications for Rehabilitation -- UAR

11. Client Involvement in VR -- UWS

12. CAP: A Rehabilitation Resource

13. Rehabilitation of Persons with Severe Psychiatric Disabilities &
    Technology for Individuals with Chronic Mental Illness -- UAR

14. Fundamentals of Eligibility for VR -- UAR

15. VR Services to Persons with HIV Infection -- UWS

16. The provision of TA for Rehabilitation -- UWS

17. Disability Management at the Work-Place: State-Federal VR -- UAR

18. Aging in America -- UWS

19. Assistive Technology -- UAR

20. VR Services in IL Centers -- UAR

21. Substance Abuse as a Secondary Disability -- UWS

22. New & Innovative Employment Services Strategies in VR -- UAR

23. Human Resources Development (HRD) in Rehabilitation -- UWS

24. Consumer Involvement in Rehabilitation Research and Practice -- UAR

25. Serving the Underserved -- Principles, Practices and Techniques --
    UWS

26. Multi-Cultural Diversity in Rehabilitation -- UAR

27. Employment Outcomes for Persons with Acquired Brain Injury -- UWS

28. Counseling & Guidance in the Rehabilitation Partnership -- UWS

29. Placement 2000 -- UAR

30. Native American Rehabilitation Programs -- Unmet Needs -- UAR

31. Operationalizing Consumer Decision-Making and Choices in the VR
    Process -- UWS

32. Strategies for Enhancing Job Retention and Career Advancement -- UAR

33. Shaping State Rehabilitation Programs through Consumer Partnerships:
    Issues and Strategies -- UWS

34. Strategies for Eliminating Barriers to Effective Service Delivery --
    UAR

35. Developing Effective Partnerships with Employers as an Effective
    Service Delivery Mechanism -- UWS

36. Field Service Managers and Supervisors: Strategic Leaders in
    Achieving Employment Outcomes -- GWU

37. Achieving Successful Employment Outcomes with the Use of Technology
    -- UWS

38. Developing Self-Employment and Small Business Opportunities for
    Persons with Disabilities -- UAR

39. Improving Employment Outcomes Through VR Counselors Who Meet the
    Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Requirements --
    UAR

40. Improving Rehabilitation Services and Employment Outcomes for
    Individuals Who are Deaf and Low Functioning (LFD) -- GWU

41. Meeting Future Workforce Needs -- UWS

42. Using the Internet as a Resource to the Work of the VR Counselor --
    GWU

43. The Family as a Critical Partner in the Achievement of a Successful
    Employment Outcome -- UAR

44. Effective Strategies to Improve the Achievement of Employment for
    Individuals Who Are SSI/SSDI Participants -- UWS

45. Succession Planning in a Customer-Focused VR Environment -- UWS

46. Effective Strategies for Improving Employment Outcomes for Persons
    with Kidney Failure -- UAR

47. Providing VR Services in a Workforce Environment -- GWU

48. Distance Education: Opportunities and Issues for the Public
    Vocational Rehabilitation Program -- GWU

49. Investing in the Transition of Youth with Disabilities to Productive
    Careers -- UAR

50. TANF and Vocational Rehabilitation: Partnering for Employment
    Success - UWS

The following two IRI topics developed during the Twenty-Ninth IRI cycle
are currently being finalized and will be disseminated in the near
future:

1.  Teaching Orientation & Mobility Professionals: Non-Traditional
    Approaches to Meet Critical Staffing Shortages - GWU

2.  Promoting Consumer Empowerment through Professional Vocational
    Rehabilitation Counseling -- UAR

**These two IRI topics developed during the Thirtieth IRI cycle will be
presented as draft documents at the National IRI Forum on May 3-4,
2004.**

1.  Innovative Methods for Providing VR Services to Individuals with
    Psychiatric Disabilities -- GWU

2.  A New Paradigm for Vocational Evaluation: Empowering the VR Consumer
    through Vocational Information -- UAR

**KEY**:

UAR University of Arkansas

> GWU The George Washington University

WVU West Virginia University

UWS University of Wisconsin-Stout

**Current IRI University Coordinators**

Donald Dew, Ph.D., Director

Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program III

George Washington University

2011 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 300

Washington, D.C. 20052

Voice: (202) 973-1550

Fax: (202) 775-0053

Email: <dondew@gwu.edu>

Jeanne Miller, Director

Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program VI

P.O. Box 1358

Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center

Hot Springs, AR 71902

Voice: (501) 623-7700

Fax: (501) 624-6250

Email: [**jeannemiller@rcep6.org**](mailto:jeannemiller@rcep6.org)

Although no longer coordinating IRI study groups, both the West Virginia
University and the University of Wisconsin at Stout have maintained
copies of many IRI documents. Contact them at:

Richard Walls

West Virginia University

Research and Training Center

P.O. Box 6122

Morgantown, WV 26506-6122

Voice: (304) 293-5313

Fax: (304) 293-6661

Email: <rwalls@wvu.edu>

Fredrick Menz

University of Wisconsin-Stout

Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute

221 10^th^ Avenue

Menomonie, WI 54751

Voice: (715) 232-2236

Fax: (715) 232-2251

Email: <menz@uwstout.edu>

Most IRI publications may be obtained from the National

Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM). Contact the
Director, Ms. Judy Seefeldt, at:

NCRTM

Oklahoma State University

5202 Richmond Hill Drive

Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-4080

Voice: (800) 223-5219

or (405) 624-7650

Fax: (405) 624-0695

Email: <seefelj@okstate.edu>

**Topic Suggestion Form**

### Thirty-First Institute on Rehabilitation Issues (IRI) 2004-2005

**Note: Deadline for submission is February 29, 2004.** Please complete
all items and include additional attachments if necessary.

1.  Title of suggested topic:

2.  Briefly describe the issues to be addressed in publication:

> A.
>
> B.
>
> C.
>
> D.
>
> E.
>
> F.
>
> G.

3.  Intended audience:

4\. Describe the potential effects on improving services to individuals
with disabilities:

> A.
>
> B.
>
> C.
>
> D.
>
> E.

**Topic Suggestion Form for the Thirty-first IRI (continued)**

5\. Provide the names and addresses of persons with knowledge of this
topic:

> A.
>
> B.
>
> C.
>
> D.
>
> E.

6\. Topic submitted by:

> Name:
>
> Title:
>
> Employer:
>
> Address:
>
> Telephone/FAX:
>
> Email:
>
> **Please return no later than February 29, 2004 to:**
>
> Charles Sadler
>
> VR Program Specialist
>
> Rehabilitation Services Administration
>
> 330 C Street, SW, Room 3216
>
> Washington, DC 20202-3216
>
> VOICE: (202) 205-9286
>
> FAX: (202) 205-9340
>
> FEDERAL RELAY: (800) 877-8339

EMAIL: <charles.sadler@ed.gov>