Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
__________
[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
Describe the designated State agency's procedures and activities to establish and maintain a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professional and paraprofessional personnel for the designated State unit, including the following:
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- B. Personnel Development
Describe the development and maintenance of a system for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on personnel development with respect to:
- B. Personnel Development
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 1. B. i. A list of the institutions of higher education in the State that are preparing VR professionals, by type of program;
Current Narrative:
Personnel Development needs over the past two years have been address by our relationship with University of Southern Maine. Two DBVI Associate Counselors have completed and a third has enrolled in the USM Counselor Education Graduate Program. It is expected that the third Associate counselor will receive a Master of Science in Counseling. Training and supervision are provided under the guidance of a qualified rehabilitation counselor. Training includes instruction regarding the implications of visual impairment and how to provide expert services for people who are visually impaired and seeking employment.
DBVI is coordinating all educational training with Charles Beracchio, EdD, CRC from the University of Southern Maine. The Master of Science requires students to take a total of fifty-four credit hours. After completion of the program, counselors have the required knowledge needed to work in the rehabilitation field. Classes focus on the medical and psychological aspects that surround people with disabilities in our society. The training teaches students how to promote equality and empower clients. Below is an outline of the program syllabus:
Core Courses (27 credits)
EDU 600 Research Methods and Techniques
HCE 605 Psychological Measurement and Evaluation
HCE 620 Fundamentals of Counseling Theories
HCE 621 Fundamentals of Counseling Skills
HCE 626 Group Process and Procedures
HCE 627 Group Counseling Practicum
HCE 668 Human Development
HCE 690 Individual Counseling Practicum Seminar
HCE 691 Individual Counseling Practicum Laboratory
Required Concentration Courses (24 credits)
HCE 510 Introduction to Rehabilitation Counseling and Service
HCE 514 Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Evidence-based Practices and Treatment
HCE 611 Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability and Rehabilitation
HCE 612 Multicultural Counseling: Social & Cultural Foundations of Helping Diverse Families
HCE 615 Vocational Counseling and Placement in Rehabilitation
HCE 619 Recovery-Oriented Origins of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practice
HCE 642 Perspectives on Chemical Dependency
HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education (6 credits - 600 hours)
Vermont has no accredited graduate school offering a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. To meet the Comprehensive System for Professional Development (CSPD) standards, a Counselor needs either a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or a master’s degree in a related field plus completion of four additional core rehabilitation courses. To help met the requirement for education, Assumption College, University of Massachusetts, and Springfield College of Human Services have partnered to provide the required masters level courses to be CSPD qualified. Presently, all DBVI rehabilitation counselors have met the educational requirements.