NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE OF
REHABILITATION TRAINING WEBINAR
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012
6:30 A.M. - 8:42 A.M.
CAPTIONER: SHARON JAMES
...
> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. HELLO, HERE WE ARE DAY TWO. WE'RE READY TO GET STARTED. I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A GENEROUS AND GRACIOUS TIME HERE IN TEXAS. CAN WE GIVE ONE MORE HAND TO THE TEXAS PEOPLE THAT HAVE HELPED US WITH THIS HERE TODAY?
(APPLAUSE)
> VERY GOOD. I WANTED TO TAKE AN EXCITING MOMENT TO TALK TO YOU BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT IS ONE OF THE FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE SUMMIT GROUP. AND THERE'S BEEN MANY CONVERSATIONS IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND SEVERAL MONTHS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC. AND I THINK I WOULD JUST START IT WITH A REAL LIFE SCENARIO AND THAT IS MANY OF YOU HAVE EITHER BEEN HIRED INTO A NEWLY OPENED POSITION FOR A VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM EVALUATOR, OR SOME OF YOU ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. AND I KNOW ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK YOURSELF IS, HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN THIS INDIVIDUAL IS READY TO GO AHEAD AND PERFORM ALL THE FUNCTIONS IN THEIR ROLE AS THE PROGRAM EVALUATOR FOR OUR AGENCY OR A PROGRAM EVALUATOR FOR OUR AGENCY? AND, SO, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT IN THE INSTITUTE OF REHABILITATION ISSUES IN 2010 FROM THE GROUP THAT DEVELOPED THERE WAS THE CONCEPT OF -- IDEA OF HAVING A CORE BASIC TRAINING THAT WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR PROGRAM EVALUATORS. SO AT THE COMPLETION OF IT THERE WOULD BE A CERTIFICATE THAT WOULD BECOME THAT AWARENESS THAT, YES, THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT CAME FROM VR NOW ARE PROGRAM EVALUATORS AND CAN DO THE WORK AND ARE COMPETENT IN THE FUNCTIONS THAT THEY ARE PERFORMING AND IN THE SKILLS THAT THEY ARE ADMINISTERING WITHIN THIS PARTICULAR POSITION. SO, WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH SEVERAL UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS AT THIS POINT IN TIME TO BEGIN TO FORMULATE THAT TYPE OF AN EXPERIENCE FOR YOU. WHAT WOULD IT PRIMARILY LOOK LIKE? IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, STARTING WITH A SUMMER INSTITUTE PROBABLY FOUR OR FIVE DAYS WHERE YOU GO TO A SPECIFIC LOCATION. THEN THE REST OF IT WOULD BE PROBABLY FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MONTHS DOING SOME TYPE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION. AND THEN FINALLY, IT WOULD END UP WITH A PROJECT THAT WAS STATE VR INITIATED THAT WOULD ASSIST IN PROGRAM EVALUATION AMONGST OUR STATE VR AGENCIES. SO, ANYWAY, THOSE ARE SOME PRELIMINARY IDEAS. AND, SO, COMING IN THE FUTURE, AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER 2014, OKAY. SO, AS PART OF THAT WE WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE RECEIVING INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK IF YOU WANT TO BECOME PART OF THE CREATING PROCESS OF THIS CORE BASIC TRAINING. TERRY LEWIS, SHE JUST SENT OUT AN E-MAIL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO AND SHE'LL PROBABLY SEND ONE OUT AGAIN. THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED ADELPHI PROCESS, WHICH IS A DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES A WEEK FOR FIVE WEEKS TO GIVE INPUT INTO THAT. SO, IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FORMATION OF THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE MOST INTENSIVE FORM OF BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE INITIAL FEEDBACK FOR THAT. HOWEVER, IF YOU DON'T -- WE UNDERSTAND IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT, WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DO IS TALK TO ME IN THE NEXT DAY AND A HALF. I'M HERE, AND WE CAN GET SOME IDEAS FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE WOULD BE NECESSARY CURRICULUM FOR THIS CORE BASIC TRAINING. OR E-MAIL ME. AS ALWAYS YOU'RE AVAILABLE TO DO THAT AND TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS THAT THIS IS GENERATED FROM HUH-UH DECIDE WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE FIELD OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM EVALUATION BECAUSE YOU DO IT EVERY DAY. SO, THAT'S WHAT'S THE KEY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS. SO, ANYWAY, WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PROCESS. WE HOPE THAT WE'LL LEARN A LOT AS WE GO ALONG. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE INDIVIDUALS WHO COME TO THIS POSITION FROM THE VR WORLD, WHICH IS THE PREFERRED METHODOLOGY OR WAY OF DOING THIS, THAT VR DIRECTORS HAVE COMMUNICATED TO US TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM TO BE READY TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. AND, SO, I ASK YOU ALL TO GET ON BOARD BECAUSE IT'S ALL US, LIKE I SAID BEFORE. SO, ANYWAY, THAT'S AN IDEA.
> NOW, LET ME GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE STEVE WOODERSON. STEVE WOODERSON WAS SELECTED AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF CSAVR ON NOVEMBER 1ST, 2010. PRIOR TO JOINING CSAVR, STEVE WAS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF IOWA VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES. I DIDN'T HEAR ANY CLAPPING. IOWA?
(APPLAUSE)
> THANK YOU.
> ONE.
> CLAP LOUD. VERY GOOD. HE OVERSAW THE STATE VR AND INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THE DISABILITY DETERMINATION BUREAU. HIS EXPERIENCE IN VR SPANS NEARLY 30 YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE PUBLIC PROGRAM. STEVE STARTED AS A VR COUNSELOR IN SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI IN JANUARY OF 1981 AND HE ENJOYED A 20-YEAR CAREER WITH THE MISSOURI VR AGENCY.
(APPLAUSE)
[LAUGHTER]
> THERE WE GO, THERE'S THE RESPONSE THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. VERY GOOD. IN MARCH OF 2000 STEVE MOVED TO IOWA TO BECOME THE REHABILITATION SERVICES CHIEF, AND THEN WAS APPOINTED AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR IN DECEMBER OF 2002. HE HAS SERVED AT ALL PROFESSIONAL LEVELS IN THE PUBLIC VOCATION REHABILITATION PROGRAM WHICH GIVES HIM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF THE LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF VR SERVICE DELIVERING. DURING STEVE'S TENURE IN IOWA, HE WAS -- HE ALSO WAS ADJUNCT FACULTY IN THE DRAKE UNIVERSITY REHABILITATION COUNSELING PROGRAM. HE IS A CERTIFIED DALE CARNEGIE TRAINER AND RETIRED ARMY RESERVES LIEUTENANT COLONEL. NOW, SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW I'M TRAINED AS A MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST AND HAVE DONE COUNSELING BEFORE. AND, SO, I KIND OF FELT LIKE I FELL BACK INTO THAT ROLE WHEN I WAS TALKING TO STEVE BECAUSE HE TOLD ME ONE OF HIS FANTASIES. ONE OF HIS FANTASIES -- [LAUGHTER]
> -- THAT HE WOULD WANT TO SOME DAY BE INTRODUCED LIKE JOHNNY CARSON. SO, HERE'S STEVE!
[LAUGHTER]
(APPLAUSE)
> YOU SCARED THE SOUP OUT OF ME TO START OFF WITH. I WAS THINKING -- I DIDN'T THINK I HAD ACTUALLY DISCLOSED THAT FANTASY TO ANYBODY ELSE. SO, I'LL PUT THIS ON. GOT OFF THE PLANE LAST NIGHT. FIRST THING I STARTED DOING IS COUGHING AND SNEEZING. SO, WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO WITH ALL THE HUMIDITY AND STUFF, I GUESS. I APOLOGIZE, MY VOICE MAY BE CRACKING. SOUNDS LIKE I'M A 14 YEAR OLD YOUNG MAN NOW, RIGHT? GLAD TO BE HERE. THANKS FROM THE GRAND RESPONSE FROM IOWA, JEFF. YOU COULD HAVE DONE A LITTLE BIT BETTER REPRESENTING MORE. MISSOURI, YOU DID SOME BETTER, APPRECIATE THAT. IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE. IT'S GOOD TO BE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY WHERE I CAN TALK WITH MY NATIVE VERNACULAR, BEING MUCH OF MY LIFE IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI, I FIND MYSELF COMING TO PLACES AND PEOPLE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING. I DON'T THINK THAT I HAVE THAT MUCH OF AN ACCENT OR A DRAWL. I FOUND OUT RECENTLY THAT THERE ARE THOSE WHO REALLY BELIEVE THAT I DO HAVE. THE MOST GRAPHIC EXAMPLE IS THE CSAVR OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WERE GRACIOUS TO SUPPORT MAYA ATTENDANCE AT THE EUROPEAN PLATFORM FOR REHABILITATION, EPR, JUST SOUTH OF OSLO, NORWAY THIS SUMMER. AND IN PREPARATION FOR THAT TRIP -- EXCUSE ME -- I COMMUNICATED WITH MY COUNTERPART IN EPR. HE LIVES IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. AND THAT'S WHERE THEIR HEADQUARTERS ARE. SO, TWICE I CALLED HIM AHEAD OF TIME, AND THE SAME PERSON ANSWERED THE PHONE TWICE. AND I SAID, HI, THIS IS STEVE WOODERSON, THAT WAS WITHOUT THE CRACK IN THE VOICE. THIS IS STEVE WOODERSON FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. I'D LIKE TO SPEAK WITH JAN. HE'S MY COUNTERPART IN EUROPE. TWICE AFTER I SAID, HI, THIS IS STEVE WOODERSON CALLING FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., I'D LIKE TO SPEAK WITH JAN, SHE RESPONDED WITH, PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.
[LAUGHTER]
> WHAT DO YOU SAY, YOU KNOW? OKAY. I AM STEVE WOODERSON.
[LAUGHTER]
> SO, IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO BE IN A PART OF THE COUNTRY WHERE I COULD SAY HOWDY, HOW Y'ALL DOING, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. WE AREN'T ALL NATIVES TO THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, BUT IT IS A THRILL FOR ME TO BE HERE. MICHAEL AND THE PLANNING COMMITTEE CONTACTED ME SOMETIME AGO AND I HAD THIS ON MY SCHEDULE SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I WASN'T REALLY SURE UNTIL JUST A FEW DAYS AGO WHAT, IF ANYTHING, I COULD OFFER TO YOU THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY NOT ALREADY KNOW. SO, I'M JUST PUTTING OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE TALK ABOUT TODAY IS PROBABLY OLD NEWS FOR MOST EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM. BUT WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW IS, IN MY OPINION, THE FUTURE OF THE PUBLIC VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM RESTS RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM. I HOPE YOU BELIEVE THAT. YEAH.
(APPLAUSE)
> YEAH. THE FUTURE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE BECOME FOR THIS NEXT GENERATION REALLY RELIES ON OUR ABILITY TO TELL OUR STORY, TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY INFORMATION ABOUT THE VALUE OF OUR PROGRAM TO INDIVIDUALS NOT JUST IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THAT MAKE DECISIONS, BUT FROM THE REST OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT PUTS NEW PROGRAMS INTO PLAY. SO, WHAT WE ARE ABOUT HERE IN MY OPINION IS VERY LIKELY THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY WE AS LEADERS CAN AND SHOULD BE ABOUT IN TODAY'S MARKETPLACE. I WOULD TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER AND SAY THAT IF WE CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY, THE VR PROGRAM IS IN JEOPARDY. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IF WE CONTINUE THE COURSE THAT WE'RE ON TODAY, THAT THE PUBLIC VOCATION REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN SOME WAYS IN THE MIND OF SOME PEOPLE HAS ALREADY BEEN MARGINALIZED, COULD DIE. NOW, IF YOU TAKE A STEP BACK AND THINK ABOUT THAT, THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE ABOUT ANY COMMUNITY OR ANY PRACTICE OR ANY PROFESSION THAT WE KNOW. EVEN MAN KIND, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO OUR ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT, SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. SO, I REALLY HOPE THAT AS YOU ARE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS YESTERDAY, YOU CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY, YOU RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE THE CHANGE AGENTS FOR THE VR PROGRAM.
> I WAS GENUINELY A LITTLE BIT INTIMIDATED WHEN MICHAEL FIRST CONTACTED ME BECAUSE I REALLY KNOW THAT FOLKS IN THE ROOM ARE REALLY GOOD AT NUMBERS, MANY OF YOU ARE. YOU'RE GOOD AT PULLING TOGETHER INFORMATION THAT HELPS US EVALUATE OUR PROGRAMS AND YOU'RE GOOD AT IDENTIFYING THE QUALITY FACTORS FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO AND YOU'RE GOOD AT ANALYZING DATA AND STATISTICS, AND I REALLY STINK AT ALL OF THAT. I REALLY DO. IN FACT, I THINK THE REASON I FELT SO INTIMIDATED, I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A FLASH BACK TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. THERE'S A COUPLE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVE KNOWN ME ABOUT 30 YEARS. I SEE DAVE ROBERTS. FOR THOSE THAT HAVE KNOWN ME, THIS IS ONE PIECE OF DATA I'M GOING TO DISCLOSE THAT I'VE NEVER DISCLOSED ABOUT MY ENTIRE LIFE IN PUBLIC BEFORE. NEVER IN MY LIFE. MY WIFE AND I HAD TO GET MARRIED. WE HAD TO GET MARRIED. IT'S PROBABLY NOT FOR THE REASON THAT YOU'RE THINKING.
[LAUGHTER]
> THE REASON MY WIFE AND I HAD TO GET MARRIED IS THAT CATHY IS TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME. WE'VE BEEN MARRIED 37 -- OH, MY GOSH, A LONG TIME.
[LAUGHTER]
> I SCREWED UP, BOY. SHE'S NOT HERE. SHE'S TWO YEARS OF SCHOOL AHEAD OF ME. SO, WHEN YOU'RE IN COLLEGE, CATHY GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE. SO, THE SUMMER BEFORE MY JUNIOR YEAR WE GOT MARRIED. WE WERE YOUNG PUPS, VERY YOUNG PUPS. AND I ENROLLED FOR MY FIRST STATISTICS CLASS MY JUNIOR YEAR. WE HAD TO GET MARRIED BECAUSE I HAD TO HAVE CATHY WITH ME 24/7 TO GET ME THROUGH STATISTICS.
[LAUGHTER]
> OKAY. NOW, THAT'S A TRUE STORY. AND FORTUNATELY, OUR LIVES TOGETHER LASTED ANOTHER AT LEAST THREE YEARS SO I COULD GET THROUGH IT AGAIN IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. SO, I SHARE WITH YOU UP FRONT THAT STATISTICS ISN'T MY THING. BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE DATA THAT WE GATHER AND CAN BE VERY MUCH ADDING VALUE TO WHO WE ARE IN THE FUTURE OF THE VR PROGRAM. ONE THING THAT I DO REMEMBER -- IN FACT, THAT'S THE ONLY CLASS I REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT IN GRAD SCHOOL BECAUSE I WAS SO INTIMIDATED. IT WAS A TUESDAY-THURSDAY 7:30 IN THE MORNING CLASS. STUPID. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WOULD PICK A CLASS THAT TIME OF DAY OR EVEN SCHEDULE IT. ONE OF THE THINGS I REMEMBER OUR INSTRUCTOR SAYING, I HAD TO GO BACK AND RESEARCH MY MIND, HE REFERRED TO EINSTEIN AND EINSTEIN'S COMMENT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN USED HERE OR USED BEFORE THE DAY IS OUT IN OTHER PLACES. EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE COUNTED DOESN'T NECESSARILY COUNT. EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE COUNTED DOESN'T NECESSARILY COUNT. AND HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT EVERYTHING THAT COUNTS CANNOT NECESSARILY BE COUNTED. SO, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE, TO FIND THAT DATA, TO FIND THOSE PRACTICES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE THAT COMMUNICATES OUR MESSAGE. I DID TALK WITH A COUPLE FOLKS IN THE ROOM MANY MONTHS AGO ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT AND SOME VERY SMART PERSON IN THE ROOM -- I WON'T IDENTIFY JOE IF HE'S HERE, MALONEY, OKAY, JOE -- BROUGHT AN ASPECT TO LIFE THAT I THINK IS AMPLIFIED BY EINSTEIN'S COMMENT, AND THAT IS WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF. WE HAVE A LOT OF DATA. WE HAVE A LOT OF DATA THAT STATISTICALLY CAN BE VALIDATED. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF STUFF THAT WE CAN SUPPORT AND SAY, YEAH, YOU KNOW, THE RELATIVITY OF THIS ACTIVITY IS SUCH AND SO AND WE KNOW THAT STATISTICALLY THIS STANDS TRUE. SO, THAT'S ACCURATE DATA, RIGHT? BUT HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT? HOW EFFECTIVE IS SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE'RE ABOUT IN TELLING THE STORY THAT WE NEED TO TELL AND TO BE THAT CHANGE AGENT IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE TO BE -- WE ARE CHARGED WITH RESPONSIBILITY OF DOING? BEING THAT YOU'RE A NATIVE, THERE'S ANOTHER FELLOW THAT ALSO I QUOTE QUITE A BIT. FELLOW BY THE NAME OF MARK TWAIN. HE HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YEAH. LOVE HIS WRITINGS. ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID IS, FIRST GET YOUR FACTS, THEN DISTORT THEM AS YOU CHOOSE.
[LAUGHTER]
> THAT REALITY IS, WE FIRST GET OUR FACTS AND THEN BE ABLE TO USE IT IN A WAY THAT REALLY DOES TELL THE STORY. ALL THAT STUFF YOU ALREADY KNOW. ALL THAT STUFF THAT PROBABLY HAS BEEN BROUGHT OUT IN SOME OF THE PROGRAMS, SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS UP TO THIS POINT. WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO GO FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES IS TO TAKE WHAT I BELIEVE I'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO AND TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF VR AND THOSE AREAS THAT I SEE AS BEING IMPORTANT. AGAIN, IT'S REALLY JUST MY OPINION. SO, DISCOUNT IT IF YOU CHOOSE, BUT I WILL PROBABLY COME BACK TO YOU AND SAY, BUT THIS IS WHAT I'M HEARING, OKAY.