Web-Based Certificate Series on Supported Employment
By Laurel Richards (lrichards@ilru.org)
The "any time-any where" distance learning philosophy has been adopted by the Research and Training Center on Workplace Support which is using the Internet as the means of offering a certificate in supported employment. The RTC is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States. According to the certificate program director, Katherine Inge, the 18-week course addresses supported employment from six perspectives: federal policy and historical perspective, customer profile and employment selection, organizational marketing and job development, job site training, long-term support, and funding.
The course is delivered in virtual time, enabling course participants to log on to the Web site at any time to view the course content, obtain assignments, listen to audio playback of lectures (transcripts are posted form people with severe hearing impairment), participate in discussions taking place on course bulletin boards, and post questions of instructors and other supported employment experts. (The learning objectives set for the course below.)
Regarding course availability to people outside of the U.S., Inge says that a number of participants have been from other countries. The one absolute course requirement a participant must have is the system requirements
The course fee is $175 a person; $575 for five individuals from the same organization. The most recent session began on December 3, 2001. For more information, contact Katherine Inge--kinge@atlas.vcu.edu; 804.828.5956; or visit the Web site at www.worksupport.com
Supported Employment: Web-Based Certificate Series Learning Objectives
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Discuss the federal policy and historical overview of supported employment.
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Describe the process for designing and implementing an organizational marketing plan.
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Define the components of a customer profile to include situational assessments, community assessments, vocational evaluations, and functional resumes.
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Illustrate an understanding of job development for career paths by developing a job search plan for a potential supported employment customer.
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Match a customer's strengths with the prospective employer's business needs.
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Discuss the various job-site training strategies (e.g., natural cues, workplace supports, compensatory strategies, instructional strategies, assistive technology) and their applications.
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Define the features of a high quality long-term support plan.
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Describe the various alternative funding sources for supported employment (e.g., medicaid, social security work incentives, vocational rehabilitation, community resources, developmental disabilities, etc.).
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