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About Us
MISSION, VISION, & CORE VALUES
Through our ongoing efforts and collaboration with individuals with
significant disabilities, DRS and other stakeholders, the program
continues to provide a valuable demonstration of how community based
competitive employment can become a reality for all Americans who
desire to work.
First, the program strives to support persons with disabilities with
identifying their abilities, possible support needs; conducting a
job search to locate real work for real pay, providing and facilitating
workplace supports as needed, and ongoing long term follow along and
job retention services both at or away from the work place.
Second, the program offers a valuable service to the business community.
These services include: assisting employers with identifying hiring
needs or new work structures, referring candidates for interviews,
providing initial and ongoing on the jobsite support services to ensure
the employer’s business requirements are being met by the new
hire, and providing education and technical assistance on disability
and employment related issues.
ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION & HISTORY
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is an accredited, Division
one university with nearly 21,000 students. There are 12 major schools,
including the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) and each school in
the university provides Masters and Doctoral level training. This
state-supported university is located in the heart of Richmond, the
capital of Virginia. With a metropolitan population of more than 1.25
million people, Richmond is a growing community. The central location
of the university enables smooth functioning of grant activities and
facilitates collaboration. For example, the Virginia Spinal Cord Injury
Council Association and the Virginia State Department of Rehabilitative
Services offices are located within 2 miles.
VCU is one of the three principal research universities in Virginia,
along with the University of Virginia (Charlottesville) and Virginia
Tech (Blacksburg). VCU is by far the largest university in the state
and region. Each year an increasing amount of external research funds
have been awarded. In the past year, more than 30 million dollars
was received, ranking the university, based on research dollars, in
the top sixty in the country.
The current Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on
Workplace Supports was established in 1998 and is led by Dr. Paul
Wehman. In previous years, he directed the RRTC on Supported Employment.
The focus of this RRTC was on advancing the concept of supported employment
for individuals with mental retardation. Over the years, the center
has focused on using this approach with under served disability populations
like people with severe physical disabilities, traumatic brain injuries,
and mental illness. With a clinical research emphasis, the center
has examined and successfully developed a variety of methods to help
persons with disabilities gain and maintain employment.
Development of vocational rehabilitation methods has reflected a commitment
to provide competitive work in non-segregated environments. Emphasis
has also been placed person centered and customer directed services,
family involvement and networking with community rehabilitation agencies,
like the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS).
Under the direction of Dr. Wehman, the VCU-RRTC has advanced the concept
of supported employment for persons with all types of severe disabilities
through its demonstration projects, vendorship activities, research,
training activities, and publications. Largely as a result of these
efforts, supported employment is now a service option for vocational
rehabilitation consumers nationwide, with over 108,138 participants
with MR/DD labels being served from 1996-2000.
In the late eighties, the RRTC entered into a contract with DRS to
become an Employment Service Organization (ESO). Today ESO, known
as Business Connections operates out of the center’s Employment
Services division and serves the Richmond, Fredericksburg and surrounding
counties area. While the program is open to anyone who meets the eligibility
criteria we continue to serve individuals who might not otherwise
receive employment assistance. In addition, we continue to expand
our knowledge and share this with other professionals. Business Connections
is staffed by a program director, program manager and four employment
specialists.
Throughout the years the VCU RRTC has been heavily involved in the
development and formulation of disability employment research. Today,
the center RRTC on Workplace Supports provides research and training
related to identifying factors in the workplace that inhibit or enhance
the employment rate and career advancement of people with disabilities.
More than eighty-five journal articles and 70 commercially produced
texts or book chapters were published and co-written by RRTC staff
since 1988. Live web casts and distance education courses are also
provided. Today, over 800 people have participated in the Supported
Employment Web Based Certificate Program.
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