Special Edition of American Rehabilitation

This year marks the 90th Anniversary of the public vocational rehabilitation program. Our program has a history of positive, creative change. To help celebrate this important milestone, RSA Commissioner Lynnae Ruttledge requested a Special Edition of the American Rehabilitation publication.

The theme for this publication is ‘Creating a Vision for 2020: Celebrating Our Past, Looking to the Future’. Partners included CSAVR, NIDRR, the ICDR, the ADA Network, and NRA.

Please go to the following link to view the Special Edition of American Rehabilitation: http://www.rehabnetwork.org/ Once there you will find the following versions:
1. The PDF file is the formal version, in full color, with photos, etc.
2. The word file is the accessible word version prepared by Suzanne Mitchell for individuals who cannot access the formal version.

NRA's CEU OF THE MONTH- JUNE

National Rehabilitation Association CEU OF THE MONTH

June 2010

HM2025: Transferable Skills Analysis: A Basic Guide to Finding Related Jobs

Use your NRA custom link to receive a 10% discount on all classes

http://www.aaaceus.com/NationalRehab

4 contact hours

Pre-approved for: ABVE, ACM, ASWB (Social Workers), CA BBS , CA BRN, CDMS, CMCN, CPHM, CRC, Florida BON, Ohio SW/Counselor, RNs: ALL STATES. Also appropriate for: COHN/COHN-S, CPUM, CPUR, CRRN

This course presents a time-tested approach and method for completing a TSA. Dr. Field has up-dated the Guide to include valuable information for the vocational expert in Social Security hearings as well as related legal settings. This textbook served as a basis for a presentation to attorneys and judges in the U.S. 5th Circuit of the Federal judiciary. The booklet is well-documented with an excellent bibliography, including relevant court-reported cases involving vocational experts.

Save the Date for RSA Commissioner Event

NRA announces

"A Conversation With the Commissioner of RSA," The Honorable Lynnae Ruttledge," Wednesday, August 4, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. (Eastern time).

CEUs/CRCs will be offered as well as individual and/or group rates, the details of which will follow shortly.

It is our privilege to be announcing this important TeleSeminar on the 90th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act, one of the most enduring and endearing laws in our country, given the success of the programs, services and supports provided by qualified rehabilitation counselors and personnel who have assisted millions of eligible individuals with disabilities secure both personal and economic independence.

Those of you who have the privilege of working in the public and private rehabilitation field should celebrate the many years of service that you and those who came before you have provided to individuals with disabilities.

So, SAVE THE DATE OF AUGUST 4, 2010,

FOR A CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF RSA

which we assure you will be both an exhilarating and informative experience with one of the most powerful and respected powerbrokers on the Potomac .

Thank you!
Questions? patricia@nationalrehab.org www.nationalrehab.org

National Rehabilitation Association CEU OF THE MONTH MAY 2010

National Rehabilitation Association

CEU OF THE MONTH MAY 2010
NL0106R: Models of Disability and Advocacy in Rehabilitation Counseling©

Use your NRA custom link to receive a 10% discount on all classes www.aaaceus.com/NationalRehab

4 contact hours
PRE-APPROVED for 2 hours CRC/CDMS Ethics Credit

Pre-Approved for: ABVE, ACM, ASWB, CA BBS, CA BRN, CCM, CDMS, CLCP, CMCN, CPHM, CRC, Florida BON, NCC (NBCC), Ohio SW/ Counselor, RNs: ALL STATES

Also appropriate for: COHN / COHN-S, CPUM, CPUR, CRRN

Call 1-866-850-5999 for questions or technical difficulties.

OBJECTIVES
1. Define and discuss the three models of disability:
a. The Biomedical Model
b. The Economic Model
c. The Sociopolitical Model

2. Discuss the relevance of incorporating multicultural competency into the definition of advocacy in rehabilitation counseling.

3. Define and discuss various models and definitions of advocacy.

NRA New York Chapter Seeks Speakers

The Northeast Rehabilitation Association Annual Training Conference is making a call for Presenters! Sunday, July 18 – Tuesday, July 20 at New York University

Call our office to register at 703-836-0850!

2010 NORTHEAST REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL TRAINING CONFERENCE

“New Strategies for Accomplishing the Rehabilitation Mission ”
For Vocational Rehabilitation, Supported Employment and Independent Living Professionals Who Advocate for, Train and Place in Employment, Individuals With Disabilities

Legislative Updates

The National Rehabilitation Association's priorities for reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act, shared with Members of Congress and their staff during NRA's Government Affairs Summit and, more recently, this week include:

• The Governors' Waiver Authority Issue Statement which states that the National Rehabilitation Association cannot and will not support any waiver of any provision of the Rehabilitation Act by Governors, the U.S. Department of Labor, or anyone else who seeks to waive the provisions of our carefully-crafted Act.
• The National Rehabilitation Association is not insensitive to the plight of Governors and the State of the States, but we believe the Community and Congressional architects' intent was that the Rehabilitation Act would always maintain a discrete funding stream for the sole use of eligible young adults and adults with disabilities and the integrity of the programs were to be honored.
• Maintaining Mandatory Funding for Title I of the Rehab Act. Pursuant to a recent Washington Wire, the President signed an Executive Order in February establishing a Commission to look at all entitlement (mandatory-funded) programs. Title I of the Rehab Act is mandatory funded, which means that Title I receives the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) every year unless inflation and the Consumer Price Index (Adjusted for Urban Areas) (CPIU) are in the negative. This year, that was the case. The rate of inflation was negative and, as a result, Title I did NOT receive the COLA.
• The National Rehabilitation Association believes that the Title III and Title VI programs, respectively, are complementary to the supports and services that Title I provides to eligible individuals with disabilities.
• The National Rehabilitation Association supports continued, discrete funding for Supported Employment, Projects with Industry, In-Service Training, and Migrants and Seasonal Farm Workers, all of which are extraordinarily important to individuals with disabilities.
  

Find all NRA 2010 Issues Statements on NRA's website: www.nationalrehab.org

Bob Cox, NRA Treasurer 2010

TRA Congratulates Bob Cox on his election as

NRA Treasurer, beginning 2010.

Way to go, Bob!!!

NRAJPD Plans Pre-Conference

The National Rehabilitation Association of Job Placement and Development, in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Job Placement and Development, will host an NRA Pre-Conference seminar on Thursday September 10, 2009. Although the specific topic and speaker are not finalized, this will be a program of interest to placement service providers. We anticipate this to be a half-day program. Look for more details in upcoming issues of Contemporary Rehab.

NRA Conference Call for Proposals

Beverlee Stafford, NRA Executive Director, asks the membership to respond to the “Call for Proposals” published in the February issue of Contemporary Rehab. You can also view this document on the NRA website; click on the link for the Call for Proposals on the NRA homepage. Please help identify potential speakers and topics to make the 2009 conference a memorable one! Proposals are due to the NRA national office by June 1, 2009. Speakers will know by July 1, 2009 if selected.

NRA Thanks Congressional Leaders- Rehab Counselor Day

The National Rehabilitation Association thanks all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and, in particular, Congressmen Skelton, Gingrey, Tonko and Ehlers, for putting their appreciation of the wonderful work qualified rehabilitation counselors and qualified rehabilitation personnel into action in recognizing these selfless individuals on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On behalf of NRA's Executive Director Beverlee Stafford, our 2009 President, Commissioner Butch McMillan, our Immediate Past President, Dr. Ray Feroz, our incoming President, Bonnie Hawley, and all in the National Rehabilitation Association, a heartfelt thanks to Dru Fentem, a long-time NRA Member from the great State of Georgia, for her dogged determination in shepherding this Resolution through both the House and Senate.

Like all of us, Members of Congress and their staff appreciate being thanked. We encourage you to contact your local Members of Congress and thank them for supporting this important Resolution recognizing qualified rehabilitation counselors and qualified rehabilitation personnel throughout our country. In particular, we ask all NRA members that you also contact electronically the following staff members and thank them for their support and that of their Member of Congress of this important Resolution. We encourage you to use as the subject line: Thank You For Voting For H.Res. 247, National Rehabilitation Counselor Appreciation Day.

Jason.Rauch@mail.house.gov; (Congressman Ike Skelton's (D.MO.))

Robert.Horne@mail.house.gov; (Congressman Phil Gingrey (R.GA))

Becky.Cornell@mail.house (Congressman Paul Tonko (D.NY.))

Rachel.Fenton@mail.house.gov; (Congressman Ehlers (R.MI.))

NRA TeleSeminar: Legislative Landscape Dr. Connie Garner

NRA-- Announcing a June 12, 2009, TeleSeminar with Dr. Connie Garner, Senior Disability Policy Advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The TeleSeminar will begin promptly at 1:00pm EST.

Dr. Garner will Keynote a TeleSeminar on the Legislative Landscape for 2009 and beyond on Friday, June 12, 2009. She will discuss several important legislative issues including, but not limited to, a report on the ongoing Congressional discussions on universal health care, as well as the forthcoming reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), with an emphasis on the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

This TeleSeminar will be two hours in length, with a half an hour devoted to a Q&A session. Mark your calendars now for this important TeleSeminar with one of the most informed individuals on Capitol Hill, Dr. Connie Garner. Registration information will be coming soon and available on our website: http://www.nationalrehab.org/.

Washington Wire- Reauthorization of WIA

NRA WASHINGTON WIRE--

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (the HELP Committee) has been conducting on a bipartisan basis a series of "Listening Sessions" on WIA to which all stakeholders -- and principally the mandatory partners -- have been invited. The National Rehabilitation Association has participated in several of these "Listening Sessions," the first on November 17, 2008. The National Rehabilitation Association also participated in the April 7, 2009 "Listening Session" of the HELP Committee which focused on the adult population, which included individuals with disabilities.

During this Listening Session and in November, NRA stressed the importance of proper training of rehabilitation counselors and all personnel involved in the provision of quality services and supports to individuals with disabilities. During the April 7 presentation we shared hard copies of NRA's 2009 Issues Statements which can be found at http://www.nationalrehab.org. NRA called particular attention to The Qualified Rehabilitation Professional, With an Emphasis on Valuing the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, citing the significant and positive relationship between the level of education of the rehabilitation counselor and the quality of consumer outcomes which is well-documented in this Issues Statement. We also shared once again our Issue Statement (which is the first of NRA's 2009 Issues Statements) on The Governors' Waiver Authority with both the Congressional staff and other advocates. This was partially in response to NRA's concern with the presentation that the National Governors' Association had made on April 7, on the importance of the flexibility of Governors in using WIA funds. We will continue to monitor this issue very closely and will advise you of developments in this regard should they affect the integrity and funding of the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act. Those of you who attended NRA's 2009 Government Affairs Summit and for those of you who have attended NRA's Summits in the past, appreciate the importance of the art of effective advocacy. This year's Summit focused on the Three "R"s of Legislative Advocacy: Relationships; Return-on-Investment and Results."

The Senate HELP Committee has tentatively set a hearing on the reauthorization of WIA to occur on May 19, 2009. We will keep you advised of additional information in this regard and ask you once again to provide us with your current contact information, including e-mail address.

Mark your calendars for next year's 2010 Government Affairs Summit, which will begin on Sunday, March 7, continues on Monday, March 8, and culminates on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, with NRA's Day on the Hill. And, do remember that understanding the ways of Washington includes a focus on the importance of TITLES, TURF AND TAKING CREDIT.