Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by sections 101(a) and 606 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA.
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development.
In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(7) of the Rehabilitation Act, the VR agency must develop and maintain annually a description (consistent with the purposes of the Rehabilitation Act) of the VR agency’s comprehensive system of personnel development, which shall include a description of the procedures and activities the State VR agency will undertake to ensure it has an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professionals and paraprofessionals that provides the following:
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development.
i. 2. C. Description of staff development policies, procedures, and activities that ensure all personnel employed by the VR agency receive appropriate and adequate training and continuing education for professionals and paraprofessionals:
i. Particularly with respect to assessment, vocational counseling, job placement, and rehabilitation technology, including training implemented in coordination with entities carrying out State programs under section 4 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998; and
ii. Procedures for the acquisition and dissemination of significant knowledge from research and other sources to VR agency professionals and paraprofessionals and for providing training regarding the amendments to the Rehabilitation Act made by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Current Narrative:
Professional Development
DSHS/DVR Training offers a customizable, multimodal training, mentorship, and on-demand learning program for staff to accommodate a variety of needs:
- DSHS/DVR process training
- Vocational Rehabilitation training
- Specific Disability, Barrier, and Opportunities knowledge
- Clinical supervision guidance
- Customer service, Ethics, and Equity Diversity Access and Inclusion (EDAI) best practices training
- Professional development
The overall goal of all DSHS/DVR Training is to use a measured, balanced approach to maximize learning retention and psychological safety while staff master the multiple variable complexities of vocational rehabilitation. We intend to give new staff what they need to begin their work, introduce them to their co-workers and partners, inspire them with the social justice foundation of vocational rehabilitation, then provide them continuing education, live support, and on-demand learning opportunities, from internal and external providers, to best serve their current customers.
When an employee is hired at DSHS/DVR, they begin onboarding curricula to match their role per state, DSHS/DVR requirements. For field and (and a growing number of) state roles, new staff work with their supervisor to complete a documented training plan. All required training and refreshers are documented in the DSHS/DVR Training Matrix, then delivered and tracked in Washington state’s The Learning Center (TLC), our learning management system. Additional learning opportunities, job aids, and resources are accessible from the Training Team SharePoint site, the Learning Center, and LinkedIn Learning.
DSHS/DVR provides staff development and training for all staff, and in so doing, provides training opportunities (required and optional) to enhance staff competencies and skills. DSHS/DVRoffers training to both professional and paraprofessional staff in core subjects through online (eLearning), instructor led virtual, and in-person instructor led training.
DSHS/DVR tracks each staff member progress on assigned training through The Learning Center, the State’s learning management system (TLC). Employees use the Learning Center to register for instructor-led and on-demand e-learning modules.
Many internally created and externally contracted DSHS/DVR courses are pre-approved through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) to provide continuing education hours to those counselors who hold a CRC.
Identifying Training Needs
DSHS/DVR employs various methods of reviewing staff performance, like monthly supervisor case reviews and annual performance evaluations, to cultivate individual performance development plans of all staff. Additional information is collected to identify training needs including:
- Statewide case reviews conducted by the division’s Compliance and Planning and Performance teams
- Recommendations from Executive Leaders
- Contributions from all field staff via a statewide training needs assessment.
- Recommendations from the WSRC and the State Independent Living Council
- Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA)
- Statewide Training Specialists
Training needs are identified by staff and leadership interaction, then assessed and documented with a Training Needs Analysis template. Needs become training objectives, which become evaluation points. All internally created training goes through subject matter expert, field leadership, Policy, and accessibility review before release. The Training Team employs multiple levels of Kirkpatrick evaluation, including Student Feedback, Initial Competency, and ROI.
Statewide Training Team
The DSHS/DVR Training Team includes six experienced, credentialed vocational rehabilitation counselors who run instructor-led activities and create asynchronous e-learning modules and job aids for staff. Trainers work with field leaders and the Strategies and Policy Unit to make sure internally created training aligns with policy and executive direction.
The Training Coordinator makes sure all staff receive all required assignments in their Learning Center dashboard, which are then monitored by their supervisors. Our Coordinator has also completed a Microsoft Trusted Tester Certification to coach and monitor the production of accessible training materials.
The Training Manager monitors agency wide initiatives and trends to provide training to meet current and future needs, coaches trainers on instructional design and adult learning best practices, provides technical support and coaching for instructional software, manages the Training SharePoint site, monitors professional development educational procurement, and manages training transparency through the entire ADDIE process.
Onboarding/New Employee Orientation (NEO)
All field hires, and other hires as appropriate, attend a three-week onboarding course introducing them to Vocational Rehabilitation as a function of social justice, and how the vocational rehabilitation process is conducted at this agency.
All new hires meet with several key staff to get a warm introduction of the following components and partners of DSHS/DVR:
- DSHS/DVR Director
- Chief of Field Services
- EDAI administrator
- Accessibility Specialist
- Washington State Rehab Council Executive Director
- Washington State Independent Living Council
- Tribal Relations Manager
- Customer Relations Manager
- Client Assistance Program Personnel
- Benefits Planning Manager
- Forms and Records Manager
- Assistive Technology and Assessment Practitioners (ATAPs)
- Business Relations Manager
Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (VRI)
Washington DSHS/DVR is continuing an interlocal agreement with the Center for Continuing Education in Rehabilitation (CCER) at University of Washington to deliver specialized classes on the most common disabilities and barriers to employment on a rotating cycle throughout the contract period. These classes enable staff to build the knowledge needed to perform at a highly professional level. Field staff at DSHS/DVR, as well as DSB and Tribal VR Partners (per MOUs) are invited to attend any and all topics.
For the 2024-2026 agreement, VRI will be offering a rotating cycle of courses in half day segments without prerequisite: a morning session featuring disability information provided by a subject matter expert, and an afternoon session discussing the vocational rehabilitation considerations of that disability/barrier. Students can attend either or all sessions to suit their schedule and supplement prior knowledge.
- Depressive and other Mood Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Autism Spectrum
- Intellectual Disability
- Physical Disorders/Conditions
- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders
- Epilepsy
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Substance Use Disorder (other than alcohol)
- Alcohol Use Disorder
- Personality Disorder Clusters
Acquisition and dissemination of significant knowledge
Procedures for the acquisition and dissemination of significant knowledge from research and other sources to designated State unit professionals and paraprofessionals are as follows:
- Washington DSHS/DVR distributes significant information in emails, statewide and regional face-to-face meetings, video teleconferencing, weekly and quarterly newsletters, Agency SharePoint sites, and Microsoft Teams.
- Washington DSHS/DVR staff at all levels attend numerous conferences every year to gain knowledge and skills. Conferences include Workforce Development, Mental Health, Transition, Supported Employment, Program Evaluation, and many others. Individual staff members also are granted approval to attend training or conferences related to serving specific populations or areas of specialization.
- DSHS/DVR Benefit Planners receive specialized training through Cornell University to confirm the delivery of quality services when working with customers that receive monetary or medical benefits. Benefits Planners have provided ongoing training and support statewide with over 17 classes conducted for counseling staff on basics of social security and work incentives for customers.
Washington Assistive Technology Program
DSHS/DVR has an Interlocal Agreement with the University of Washington, Center for Technology and Disability Studies, Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP) to provide assistive technology devices and support for customers and staff but no longer contracts with WATAP for staff training.