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Supported Employment Online Course

Employment for Individuals with Mental Illness Online Course

Training

Online Course: Supported Employment Web-Based Certificate Series

Upcoming offerings:
September 16 - December 9, 2013   (Register Online)

Cost:

$300 per person

APSE and VCU-RRTC are partnering to offer APSE members a $25 discount on the regular registration fee for the Supported Employment Online Certificate Series. Instead of the regular registration fee of $325, APSE members pay $300. Of this $300, $50 will go to APSE to support its mission of training tomorrow's employment leaders. Please note that if you drop the course, this $50 is not refundable. You must be a current APSE member with a valid APSE membership number to receive this discount. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Katherine Inge at kinge@vcu.edu.

Sessions will include information on these important employment strategies:

• assistive technology evaluation and application,
• developing business partnerships,
• career development,
• compensatory strategies,
• customer choice,
• instruction in the workplace,
• marketing and job development,
• job restructuring,
• person-centered planning,
• positive behavior supports,
• self-employment,
• social security work incentives, and
• workplace / coworker supports.

Learning Objectives: After taking this certificate series, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the federal policy and historical overview of supported employment.
• Define the components of a customer profile to include situational assessments, vocational evaluations, and functional resumes.
• Illustrate an understanding of job development for career paths by developing a job search plan for a potential supported employment customer.
• Match a customer's strengths with the prospective employer's business needs.
• Discuss the various job-site training strategies (e.g., natural cues, workplace supports, compensatory strategies, instructional strategies, assistive technology) and their applications.
• Define the features of a high quality long-term support plan.
• Describe the various alternative funding sources for supported employment.

ALL instruction is web based. The lectures are in audio format and you MUST have the system requirements listed below to benefit from the series. The series will consist of six sessions. All participants will be assigned to discussion groups. These groups will be asked to correspond with each other to discuss the session assignments. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to post comments on the course bulletin boards and ask questions of nationally known experts in supported employment. Each participant will receive a manual on supported employment.

Session 1: Federal Policy and Historical Perspective

Session 2: Customer Profile and Employment Selection

Session 3: Organizational Marketing and Job Development

Session 4: Job-Site Training

Session 5: Long-Term Support

Session 6: Funding

Sample Course Lectures:

• Quality Indicators of Supported Employment: Dr. Paul Wehman
• Marketing and Job Development: Howard Green & Pam Targett
• Job Development in Rural Communities: Cary Griffin
• Job Restructuring: Connie Ferrell
• Self-determination: Dr. Michael Wehmeyer
• Compensatory Strategies: Dr. Katherine Inge
• Job Site Training: Valerie Brooke
• Social Security Work Incentives: Jennifer McDonough

Course Structure: The course consists of six lessons, each of which lasts two weeks, giving participants ample time to complete the assignments. A new lesson is made available every other Monday morning by 9:00 a.m. ET. The course web site is always available, and you may log into the course at any time in order to view content, listen to the lectures, and complete the assignments. Each lesson will require 6 - 8 hours of staff time to complete. Please note that our online offerings are intensive, and we do not recommend taking more than one of these courses concurrently.

Course Credit: Participants can earn 3.5 CEUs or 35 CRCs upon course completion. Also, a certificate of completion will be issued to all participants who complete all course assignments.

ACRE Certification: Individuals who complete all of the requirements for VCU's online course in supported employment will be eligible to receive a National Certificate in Employment Services. The Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) awards nationally recognized Certificates of Achievement to providers of employment services to people with disabilities. This Certificate documents that the provider has satisfactorily completed a minimum of 40 hours of training or professional development provided by an ACRE-approved training resource. Virginia Commonwealth University is a member of ACRE, and the Supported Employment Online Certificate Series is an approved training program.

System Requirements: Your computer must have a sound card, speakers, Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software), and RealPlayer or RealAlternative (free software). Each participant must have his or her own e-mail address and Internet access. VCU-RRTC staff are available to provide technical assistance on how to use the Internet for distance education. Transcripts are posted for all online audio lectures.

If you have questions about the technology applications, please contact Andy Grizzard at (804) 827-1280. If you have content questions, please email Katherine Inge.