Program for Rehabilitation Leadership¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Program for Rehabilitation Leadership provides human resource development services, including continuing education, training, organizational development, and technical assistance to a variety of public and private non-profit rehabilitation organizations in the eight states of the southeast. It is funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and special projects are often initiated and funded by constituents of the Program. The Program is well known for its on-campus institutes for rehabilitation leaders and its well publicized strategic planning interventions in constituent organizations. Five professional and two support staff produce learning activities, including onsite phased workshops, seminars, learning needs assessment, and long-term organizational interventions. James Stephens directs the Program for Rehabilitation Leadership.

Projects

The Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program for Administration and Management. The Georgia State University Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RRCEP) for Administration and Management was established in 1978 in order to meet the recurring learning needs of supervisory, managerial, and administrative personnel in state rehabilitation programs in the eight states of Region IV. The GSU/RRCEP has evolved into an on-demand, rapid response continuing education program which serves leadership staff in state rehabilitation agencies, independent living programs, and community rehabilitation programs, in addition to providing technical assistance to other RRCEPs around the nation in the areas of organizational development and human resources development.

Work this year included conducting over 50 primary learning activities, including workshops, organizational interventions, team building efforts, and technical assistance, involving more than 1100 participants from eight states. The RRCEP conducted two major on-campus Institutes for New Supervisors in Region IV and a major strategic planning effort for the Georgia Division of Rehabilitation Services involving over 300 staff members and community partners. ($313,000)

The Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program for Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRP/RCEP). The CRP-RCEP is designed to address the broad range of learning needs shared by community rehabilitation organizations throughout the eight state southeastern region. Begun in 1997, the CRP-RCEP was funded for 5 years by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, to provide learning services to over 700 community rehabilitation providers in the region. These community organizations provide employment-related services, including assessment and employment training, to persons with disabilities.

These organizations employ personnel in a variety of positions, each of whom plays a crucial role in assisting persons with disabilities achieve community employment outcomes. The CRP-RCEP offers a broad range of learning activities that focus on improving the skills of community providers and increasing the effectiveness of community rehabilitation programs in enhancing employment for persons with disabilities. ($500,000)

Marketing Plan Implementation. The Program for Rehabilitation Leadership provided technical assistance to the Georgia Division of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Human Resources, in implementing a wide ranging marketing effort with Georgia employers which will enhance the employment of persons with disabilities, both increasing the number of persons with disabilities employed and enhancing the quality of jobs obtained by those persons. Marketing tools focused on the benefits of employing persons with disabilities were developed.($105,000)

Consortium for Distance Education in Rehabilitation (CDER). Georgia State University (PRL), the University of North Texas, and San Diego State University received a FY99 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, to provide M.S. degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling to currently employed professionals in the field which will allow them to meet current standards in federal legislation for rehabilitation providers. The degree program will be conducted using distance learning technologies and include cohorts of 50 counselors from each of three federal regions. PRL staff will provide tracking, mentoring, and technical assistance to the cohort representing rehabilitation agencies in Region IV. PRL has collaborated with eight of the twelve state agencies in the region to extend this grant opportunity with course work beginning Fall 1999. ($474,000; GSU/PRL-$92,000/yr.)

Strategic Planning Initiative. The Program for Rehabilitation Leadership assisted the Georgia Division of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Human Resources, in developing their FY2000 strategic plan. Representative groups of staff convened around the state to provide input and guidance, with PRL staff providing facilitation, process design, assessment, and final plan assistance.($40,000)

Region IV Employer Outreach Project. The Program for Rehabilitation Leadership, in concert with the Region IV Employer Marketing Team, made up of representatives from each of the twelve state rehabilitation agencies in the southeast, has embarked upon a 24 month project to develop a marketing plan for Region IV which will result in training materials, marketing approaches, and an employment website for persons with disabilities, rehabilitation personnel, and employers. The project is funded by the Technical Assistance Center, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and jointly administered by the Georgia Division of Rehabilitation Services. ($125,000).