Transcript

VR Workforce Studio Singers:  Singing V-R Workforce Studio.

VR client on the street:  Seeing new people, helping people, just new experiences, and I bet I’m going to rock it.

Jake Hart:  Four, three, two, one. VR Workforce Studio, podcasting the sparks that ignite vocational rehabilitation through the inspiring stories of people with disabilities who have gone to work.

Flora Frazier:  Working in a field that I understand.

Jake Hart:  As well as the professionals who have helped them.

James Hall:  A job and a career, you got to look at how life-changing this is.

Jake Hart:  And the businesses who have filled their talent pipelines with workers that happen to have disabilities.

Debby Hopkins:  To help expand registered apprenticeship.

Jake Hart:  These are their stories.

Megan Healy:  Because there’s such a great story to tell about people with disabilities.

Jake Hart:  Now, here are the hosts of the VR Workforce Studio, Rick Sizemore and Betsy Civilette.

Rick Sizemore:  Welcome to episode 126 of the VR Workforce Studio podcast, as we celebrate International Podcast Day and Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Betsy Civilette:  We begin our show today with Destiny Lamb, a young woman who connected with vocational rehabilitation in high school and worked over the next few years to find her dream career in the medical field.

Rick Sizemore:  Destiny joins us now along with her rehabilitation counselor, Lauren O’Quinn. Welcome, Lauren and Destiny.

Lauren O’Quinn:  Hello. Thanks for having us.

Destiny Lamb:  Hi.

Rick Sizemore:  I’ve got to set the stage here. We’re in two different, actually three different locations as a staff, and we’re talking with Destiny, who is actually speaking to us from Florida on the road, so we tracked her down for this critically important interview. Again, welcome, Destiny.

Destiny Lamb:  Hi, guys. Thanks for having me today.

Betsy Civilette:  Why don’t you just tell us a little bit about your job, what it’s like working at Holston Valley Medical Center and what you do there for a living?

Destiny Lamb:  When I first started volunteering, they7 hired me in as a transporter, and what they do is they transport patients around the hospital, and then I moved from that position to cleaning IV poles and IV equipment, and I did that for about a year, a year and a half actually, and then I decided I wanted to attempt to get my CNA license and I transferred to do that.

Rick Sizemore:  Tell us about a day on the job and something great that happened.

Destiny Lamb:  Working as a CNA, that part of it is very rewarding, as far as getting to take care of my patients. I love my patients. My favorite part of my job is going in and having a patient say, “Thanks for coming and sitting with me,” or “Thank you for being a part of my day” or “Thank you for taking care of me.” That is why I love my job.

Betsy Civilette:  What is your disability, if you could share that with us, and how has DORS helped you in your journey to find this rewarding work?

Destiny Lamb:  I think personally just learning a little bit slower than everybody else, which is not a bad thing, but as far as DARS impacting that, they impacted my opportunity, my want to strive to do better in life.

Rick Sizemore:  Yep. Lauren, can you tell us about your work with Destiny and how you’ve helped her achieve her dream job of moving into the medical field?

Lauren O’Quinn:  Yeah, sure. So I started working with Destiny, I think her junior year in high school, and so we started with a lot of career exploration. She took part in the virtual PERT program, and so we kind of did some research and decided that the medical field was where we would want to start. Her senior year, she enrolled in a class at the vocational school called Education for Employment, and that is a class that I partner with the CareerTech Center on. We do a lot of Pre-ETS activities. We did a lot of work site tours. We did a lot of career exploration at that point. She completed a 8-week work experience, got her some good work skills and some things to put on that resume. After that was finished, I took her over and we got her signed up to be a volunteer at the hospital, like she was saying in the transport department, and then they actually offered her a position. I don’t even think she got a summer break if I remember. She graduated on a Friday and she turned around and started work that next week.

Betsy Civilette:  I see you were able to purchase your own car. Tell us about that. How did this job give you some more independence in your life?

Destiny Lamb:  Told my mom, I was like, “Look.” I said, “I want to start building my credit.” So I went to my bank and I talked to them and they helped me start to build my credit. Well, I got my first loan. I was very tickled to death. Before I got the loan, I went and found me a car. It was a 2013 Mazda 3. It had 89,000 miles on it, and I went, got the loan and went and paid for and still have it to this day.

Betsy Civilette:  It seems you’ve had a long relationship Lauren with Destiny from high school to now. What was she like when you first met her and how has she changed throughout her vocational rehab program?

Lauren O’Quinn:  When I first met Destiny, it was right out of COVID. I think the schools were just coming back, so everybody was getting adjusted to being back in person again. But I remember her being very quiet and even from junior year to senior year, she became a little bit more open and excited, and then towards the end of the senior year, she was determined and knew exactly what she wanted to do. That education for employment class that I talked about, I think there were seven or eight in there, and she was the only one that knew exactly what she wanted to do and knew the steps she needed to take to get to it. She was extremely motivated, even with setbacks, she continues to keep trying.

Rick Sizemore:  You talked about Pre-ETS for those people who may be listening for the first time, just a quick little reference to Pre-ETS and what is involved in helping someone in high school figure out their way into the workforce. And then I’ve got a question for Destiny, but Lauren help us with that Pre-ETS.

Lauren O’Quinn:  Okay, so part of DARS services is Pre-ETS, Pre-Employment Transition Services. There are five core categories that we cover as part of Pre-ETS, and so what that looks like for me as a VRC (vocational rehab counselor)  is coming into the classes maybe once a week, once a month depending on the situation, and just really hitting those five categories, workplace readiness, job exploration, instruction on self-advocacy, work-based learning and post-secondary education training. And so we kind of briefly touch on all five of those topics. So that could be anywhere from just in-class activities. We do work site tours, we do work experiences, all of those things that I kind of talked about actually with Destiny. Just a kind of-

Rick Sizemore:  So a lot of formal language there, and I apologize for interrupting, a lot of formal language for helping someone just figure out where they need to go, right?

Lauren O’Quinn:  Right, exactly. Figuring out what they want to do after graduation, what they need help on, what areas they’ve kind of already figured out, and where’s the gaps, where can we fit in and help piece the puzzles together to get them where they need to be.

Rick Sizemore:  That’s awesome. Destiny, let me ask you how you see yourself today as compared to when you first started working with DARS. How are you different now than you were back in the beginning phases of your voc rehab program?

Destiny Lamb:  Well, like Lauren was saying, in the beginning I was… I wasn’t really confused. I mean, I had several options laid out on the table as of what I possibly wanted to do, but when she came in, I narrowed it down to two, and it made it a lot easier because I had kind of like a floor plan to go by. You know what I mean?

Rick Sizemore:  Right.

Destiny Lamb:  With the things that she brought to lay on the table, plus what I came up with and forming a floor plan, it made it a lot easier.

Betsy Civilette:  What would you say about the last few years and how have they made a difference in your path to employment?

Destiny Lamb:  I would strongly encourage somebody to use DORS because like I said, at first I was nervous. I didn’t really know what I was going into, but thanks to Ms. McClellan and Lauren… It was very nerve wracking, but it was easier for me to go into something like that versus going into a workplace and saying, “Hey, I would like a job.” It was a lot easier to go through DARS and get the help and the assistance versus me doing it on my own.

Betsy Civilette:  So DARS kind got you through the door, so to speak?

Destiny Lamb:  Yes. It helped with my confidence like being able to talk to people because like Lauren said, I’m quiet. Unless I know you, I’m just shy.

Lauren O’Quinn:  I was going to say, for sure she is one of our biggest success stories. I know we talk about her case a lot just because we had to think outside of the box. The hospital is in a different state, and so we had to figure out how that was going to work and getting her across state lines. We had to pull her out of other classes, so she had to step up and do that makeup work that she had missed during the school day while we were out volunteering. So she did a lot and it was just a great success. We had her guidance counselor helped. The teacher helped. I helped. It was a huge effort to get her successfully placed, and like I said, she’s a very good example and a good success story that I always share.

Rick Sizemore:  This is such a powerful example of a young person who’s moved into the workforce. Later in today’s show, we’ll talk with the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials. Heather Servais has a complete listing of tips and resources for families and youth in transition who are thinking about their futures. Destiny Lamb is a proud staff member at the Holston Valley Medical Center and Lauren O’Quinn works as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in the Abingdon office of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. Thank you both for joining us today.

Betsy Civilette:  Thank you, Destiny.

Destiny Lamb:  Thank you.

Lauren O’Quinn:  Thank you.

Betsy Civilette:  Enjoy your trip.

Destiny Lamb:  Thank you. I sure will. Thank you, guys.

Rick Sizemore:  Reflections from the front lines of vocational rehabilitation as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Speaker 12:  Yeah, I can be independent. Yep.

Speaker 13:  Hoping that I can get job in food service because I want to own my own restaurant.

Speaker 14:  The most exciting part for me having a job, getting the money. I have a lot of dedication, so I feel like I could do a lot.

Speaker 15:  The one thing that excites me is that everything will change and I’ll be able to use the skills I’ve learned.

Speaker 16:  Don’t be afraid to go for it. Don’t be afraid to go for it.

Speaker 17:  Making more money, being on time, seeing new people, helping people, just new experiences and I bet I’m going to rock it.

Rick Sizemore:  Our next guest’s career exemplifies dedication to advancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Beginning as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in rural Utah in the 90s, he spent several years providing boots on the ground rehabilitation counseling before moving into leadership. He served as district director, field services director, and finally as director of the Utah division of rehabilitation services, before becoming the executive director of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation.

Betsy Civilette:  Russ transitioned to a senior policy and program specialist at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion. And your career Russ is a testament to your unwavering commitment to empowering individuals with disabilities, both in practice and policy, especially as your current role as President of the National Rehabilitation Association. So we are delighted to welcome Russ Thelin to the podcast. Hello, Russ.

Russ Thelin:  Hi. Thank you. Welcome. It’s great to be here with both of you. It’s a real pleasure.

Rick Sizemore:  Yeah. With a career spanning so many facets of vocational rehabilitation and with your focus on helping people with disabilities, you’re so uniquely qualified to lead the National Rehabilitation Association. Having been in that role for a while now, what accomplishments are you most excited about at NRA and how is the organization making an impact?

Russ Thelin:  As I listened to that question, it’s probably worth noting that the National Rehabilitation Association is the oldest member organization of rehabilitation professionals in the United States. We’re comprised of counselors, educators, business engagement specialists, job developers, technical staff and other diverse agents that advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities. And we’re all about high quality, ethical and collaborative practices across the field of rehabilitation, so the ways that I think the association is making an impact are many, but let me just highlight a few of them.

Rick Sizemore:  Sure.

Russ Thelin:  First, each year, the association conducts two major conferences, a disability employment summit each spring on advocacy and a training conference, fall of each year. We just recently concluded our 3-day fall conference a couple of weeks ago with presenters and topics that included the value of alliances between rehabilitation professional associations, the importance of transformational rehabilitation leadership within VR organizations, embracing professional certification with research findings that demonstrate the quality of employment outcomes that result through certified rehabilitation professionals, the role of evaluation and assessment in providing informed choice to rehabilitation program participants. We also looked at considerations for vocational rehabilitation counselors in interacting with juveniles with intellectual and developmental disabilities who happen to be in the criminal justice system, a population that we don’t often talk about, as well as building pathways to employment through utilization of inclusive post-secondary education programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities. So those training programs are one way.

Second, we have active committees within the association that work to make sure that we’re addressing current and emerging issues within the profession. And I’ll highlight quickly just a couple of them. One of them, we have a very active public policy committee that keeps us informed on policy and legislative issues, and they also serve as that group from which the clarion call comes for the association and professionals within vocational rehabilitation to advocate and educate on important issues. Just recently, that committee led the association’s board to agree to and to be proactive in being a signatory on a multi-organizational communication to Congress to maintain the automatic cost of living adjustment increases that are built into the law, but that Congress is currently considering suspending. And so that’s something that we’re really active in is advocacy for the program because it’s the program that serves the people.

The other committee I want to touch on is our social media committee. Our social media committee puts out multiple posts each week on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other places from alerts responding to important issues to just making the professionals in the field aware of events, whether it be a webinar or conference or other publications. We utilize this committee to really help the profession at large, not just necessarily the members of our association.

And then quickly, lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Journal of Rehabilitation. This is a peer-reviewed journal, published by the National Rehabilitation Association. It enjoys, not a national, but an international audience, and it provides a lot of things within the broad perspective of the association within the context of improving, advancing the rehabilitation profession overall. It’s a quarterly publication. It’s free to members who are members of the association, but can be subscribed to if you’re not a member of the association.

Betsy Civilette:  Well, the NRA, as you said, is a member organization. So you mentioned the social media. We see you have a new website that’s just launched. What are some other exciting new initiatives happening within our NRA for current and potential members?

Russ Thelin:  We do. We have a brand new website. It literally launched yesterday. It’s a robust website that greatly enhances our ability to interact not only with the association, but also with anyone in the rehabilitation profession, to advance and better serve people with disabilities. It’s an updated resource. You can go to the website and find our quarterly contemporary rehabilitation newsletter, which is available to anyone who goes to the website, member or non-member. You can go to the website and look at the association’s issue statements on important policy or legislative matters. And we do offer events for professional development for members and non-members alike. We have conferences, webinars, regional trainings, regional conferences and more that are listed there.

And you mentioned it, but let me just encourage people to go and take a look at it by going to www.nationalrehab.org. The association recently has enhanced its membership categories. This is something that’s really exciting to me. There are no changes to our prior categories. If you were a member of the association under a prior category, they’re still there, whether it be professional, affiliate, retired, or a student member. But we have now added a stakeholder membership category. This category is for people who have a vested interest in rehabilitation and the profession, but are not direct or affiliated professionals in the field. They’re not students, they’re not retirees. We feel voices are needed at the table in our organization to include people with disabilities themselves.

Betsy Civilette:  Our listeners are always eager to hear what drives people like you. So tell us what’s inspired you to spend a lifetime helping people with disabilities?

Russ Thelin:  When I was five years old, my new baby sister came to live with my family. Over time, it was discovered that she, as a result of childbirth complications was profoundly intellectually and developmentally disabled, related to childbirth and postnatal issues my mother experienced, had her bedridden for a long time. For a long period of time, I became her critical caregiver within our home. And in so doing, I developed a real bond with her. From that time through my life and her life’s development, I got a front row seat at how people with disabilities can be treated, viewed, marginalized, and even discriminated against. So I credit Laurie for my being in this profession.

Rick Sizemore:  Your career has had such an impact on so many individuals with disabilities. Do you have a favorite story?

Russ Thelin:  You know, I do, and it goes way back to my early, early days as a rehabilitation counselor. I’m going to talk about my client Connie, and like I mentioned, she was one of the first clients I worked with when I entered this field. Connie came into my office for our first meeting and was so inebriated that she stumbled and fell over the office furniture. It was clear that she needed to reschedule for another time, which we did. Alcohol and substance abuse were an issue for her.

But as I got to know her more, I learned that she was a high school dropout. She got into an abusive relationship that she tried to exist in for years and then fled, and she moved to our small town because it was affordable for her. But then her reputation became widely known. She ended up a routine victim of psychological, physical and sexual abuse. She had post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and had overwhelming feelings of worthlessness. She attempted suicide on more than one occasion. We worked to put together a plan for her to get therapeutic help, pharmaceutical interventions, support through AA, ongoing rehabilitation counseling, remedial tutoring and adult education. And she eventually completed her high school equivalency and then went on to turn that into an adult diploma. Started to see who she really was and who she really could be. And with some ongoing support, she took on college toward becoming a drug and alcohol counselor.

Rick Sizemore:  Wow.

Russ Thelin:  And so we assisted her to the completion of a bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors. She graduated with honors, and because of that, she secured a scholarship to attend an MSW program that she relocated from out of our small town to actually be in a big campus setting, working on a master’s of social work degree. I kept in touch with her. She graduated from her MSW and then went into practice, largely serving people with drug and alcohol abuse, but more broadly as well. The highlight of this story for me is that she called me a few years later to let me know that she was now many years clean and sober. She was thriving in her professional and personal life and had just been accepted in and was about to pursue her doctorate in-

Betsy Civilette:  Wow.

Rick Sizemore:  That’s great.

Betsy Civilette:  Going all the way. That’s potential.

Russ Thelin:  Vocational rehabilitation is about helping people with disabilities find their place in society, find their place in the world. It’s about being a resource to help people with disabilities determine how they want to engage in society vocationally, both that fulfills them and that fulfills the needs of society at the same time. There are so many who can connect a person with disabilities to a job opening, that’s low-hanging fruit. Only qualified vocational rehabilitation professionals can unleash human potential to provide for maximized opportunities for people with disabilities to occupationally thrive in how, where, and why they want to. So in closing, as I relate that story, I just want to share this. I’m a proud vocational rehabilitation professional.

Rick Sizemore:  Russ, it has been such a pleasure to have you with us on the VR Workforce Studio podcast. In addition to his other career pursuits, Russ leads the National Rehabilitation Association and comes to us from his office in Salt Lake City. Russ, thank you for sharing your passion, your heart, and your vision.

Betsy Civilette:  Thank you, Russ.

Russ Thelin:  Thank you. Thank you very much.

Rick Sizemore:  Well, it’s time for our National Clearinghouse report with the always entertaining and informative, Heather Servais, as we continue our focus on National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Welcome Heather.

Heather Servais:  We’re really excited to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month at NCRTM. All throughout the month of October we will be sharing employment success stories and valuable disability employment-related resources on X, formerly Twitter. So if you’re not already following us, we highly encourage you to follow us at RSA_NCRTM, to stay up to date and to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month and all of the achievements of individuals with disabilities in the workplace in October.

The resources I have for you today are three different resources. The first is resources from the NCRTM on artificial intelligence, AI. This is the newest curated list from NCRTM, and it provides 16 different resources that are focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and vocational rehabilitation. It includes toolkits, guides, training materials that have all been developed by RSA grantees, federal partners, state VR agencies, and is all aimed at enhancing, understanding and practical applications of AI in the VR field. So for VR professionals, using this list can help support your work by providing access to tools and knowledge that improve service delivery, accessibility and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

The next resource I have is STEM Career Pathways for Transitioned Aged Youth with Disabilities. This is by the VRTAC-QE, the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment. And this training explores the challenges that youth with disabilities face in pursuant careers in science, technology, engineering and math, all of those STEM fields. And it highlights some of the progress that we’ve made in increasing diversity. VR professionals can use this information to develop strategies and interventions that can support transition-aged youth with disabilities, and accessing and succeeding in those STEM career pathways.

And last, I have the Vocational Rehabilitation Youth Fact Sheet by PTSE. This is a parent training information center, and this fact sheet provides an overview of how VR helps students with disabilities prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. And this resource is specifically targeted towards individuals in the state of Virginia. So it talks about DARS, it talks about your Department for Blind and Vision Impaired, and it outlines key supports such as vocational evaluations, job training, placement assistance. This resource is really helpful for connecting students with disabilities and families to understand the wide range of services that are available through VR and how to apply and how these services can assist in achieving those employment goals.

Rick Sizemore:  And it was great to have Russ Thelin from the National Rehabilitation Association on today talking about their new website.

Heather Servais:  Yeah, the National Rehab Association’s new website looks really great. I looked at it this morning. You could tell a lot of work went into it, and it looks very modern and streamlined, and it’s going to be great for folks out there who are looking to connect with the National Rehab Association. It was really great hearing Russ take and a little bit more about his story. So I’m hoping people are really excited and can really connect and can use some of the new resources out there from the National Rehab Association that they learned about today.

Rick Sizemore:  Heather Servais directs RSA’s National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials, and joins us each month for the Clearinghouse report. Links and resources from the NCRTM are included in the show notes at vrworkforcestudio.com. Thanks Heather.

Heather Servais:  Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Rick.

Rick Sizemore:  Well, thank you for getting involved in today’s show. If you or someone you know has a disability and wants to get into the workforce, vocational rehabilitation may just be the answer to kickstart your career. Visit us at vrworkforcestudio.com to find links and resources as well as our contact information. On behalf of my co-host, Betsy Civilette, I’m Rick Sizemore inviting you to join us as we podcast the sparks that ignite vocational rehabilitation.

Jake Hart:  The VR Workforce Studio podcast is owned and operated by vocational rehabilitation’s partners in podcasting. Audio content for the podcast is provided to VR partners in podcasting by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services in exchange for promotional considerations.