These courses are developed specifically for working professionals and focus on direct application to your work. Courses are asynchronous, which means there are no specific times to login; you can work on the course when it's convenient for you. They include hands-on learning activities and case studies to promote learning. You will have opportunities to interact with other training participants through written discussions and a course facilitator is available to provide feedback and assistance. Content is often provided in various modalities such as videos and interactive Flash tutorials to appeal to different learning styles.
Online Course Descriptions
Click on the title to go to the corresponding description:
Deafness Courses
Physical Disabilities
Rehabilitation Ethics
CRC Preparation Workshop
Introduction to Disability Benefits
Psychiatric Disabilities
Contact April Pierson with questions: piersona@uwstout.edu or (715) 232-1685.
Physical Disabilities
This course will provide an overview of the most common physical disabilities of people served in vocational rehabilitation and special education
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Epilepsy
- Cerebral Palsy
- Sensory Disabilities
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Chronic Pain
- Amputation
- Cumulative Trauma Disorders
Each disability overview includes a definition, terminology, functional limitations, and vocational/educational considerations. Written material is supplemented with online videos for further clarification.
Assessment in this course will consist of written discussions, case studies, research into resources, and brief quizzes before and after each unit.
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
- People with extensive experience with physical disabilities can gain a review of the basics, participate in extended learning opportunities, and share their experience with the group.
- People with little experience with physical disabilities can gain basic information that is focused on the necessities, explore resources to rely on later, and learn about others’ experiences.
- Occupations of typical participants: Vocational rehabilitation counselors, special educators, paraprofessionals, mainstream educators, job coaches, placement specialists, vocational evaluators, disability service advisors
Schedule:
- March 4 – April 15, 2010
Credit Hours:
- 15 credit hours or 1.5 CEUs will be provided for this course. Actual time spent may vary, but this was the average time pilot participants spent.
Cost:
- $110
Rehabilitation Ethics
The emphasis of this online course is on real ethical dilemmas provided by people working in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Participants share an ethical dilemma and work through it using the relevant content provided in the course and the assistance of other participants. This approach allows participants to learn about other dilemmas faced in the profession and share their experience to help others. Participants also will explore their own values and perceptions of ethics to determine how that affects their ethical behavior.
Units:
- Basics of ethics and ethical principles
- Focus on the new CRC Code of Professional Ethics effective January 1, 2010
- Ethical decision making models
- A discussion of “microaggressions” to promote more culturally sensitive ethical behaviors (only for the 10 hour section)
Participants will work through these three content areas which will be provided in writing or in interactive Flash tutorials. Discussion activities are all written. Most of the time spent on the course will involve writing responses to discussion activities and reading/responding to others’ messages.
The overall objective for this training is to increase sensitivity to ethical problems that are work related and to enhance the practitioners’ ethical reasoning ability. Thus the content of this course will focus primarily on ethical awareness and ethical reasoning.
To accommodate as many people as possible, we offer three options:
- 5 hour option: This is for individuals who already have some ethics credits completed and only need a few more.
- 10 hour option: This is for individuals who want to complete all of their ethics credits at once. This course fulfills CRC's entire ethics requirement.
- Individualized option: If you need your ethics credits at a particular time when we are not offering a course or if you just need 1-2 hours, contact April Pierson for an individualized option at an individualized rate.
Schedule:
- Jan 14 - Feb 18, 2010
- July 8 - August 12
- Individualized options available for an individualized rate
Cost:
- 5 credit option - $90
- 10 credit option - $150
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Exam Preparation Workshop
This workshop provides you a unique opportunity to prepare for the CRC exam. The online learning format allows you to access material nearly anywhere and anytime Internet access is available. This course provides a valuable opportunity to practice taking computerized tests similar to the CRC.
A course facilitator who has passed the CRC exam will support your preparation, answer questions, provide feedback, highlight preparation strategies, and give you tips on how to study specific content areas. Organized course content and practice quizzes will guide your studying and keep you on track. You will go through this course with a group of others from around the United States who all are focused on passing the exam. For more information on the CRC Workshop: CRC syllabus (pdf )
The workshop is offered before each CRC Exam. 2010 schedule:
- Course starts January 28 for people taking the exam March 5-13
- Course starts June 1 for people taking the exam July 9-17
- Course starts Sept 2 for people taking the exam October 8-16
Cost:
- $150
Continuing education credits are not provided for this workshop.
We recommend that your registration for the CRC exam is confirmed before registering for this workshop. SVRI is not affiliated with CRC and cannot provide you with assistance in applying.
Introduction to Disability Benefits
Do you hear contradictory information about benefits but don’t know what is true? This new course provides an easy-to-understand overview of the most common federal benefit systems for people with disabilities such as Title II (SSDI and retirement), Title XVI (SSI), Medicare, Medicaid, TANF, SNAP, COBRA, etc. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the major benefit systems and Social Security work incentives that people with disabilities can utilize in their return to work. They will also learn about the complexity of the systems and importance of providing accurate information that individuals might use in making informed decisions. The course facilitator, John Benbow, is an experienced trainer in the field of benefits and former Social Security employee.
Who should take this course?
A wide variety of participants would benefit from the course including vocational rehabilitation counselors, placement specialists, vocational evaluators, educators, advocates, etc. Participants will gain knowledge of benefits, but will not be a qualified benefits specialist after this course.
Schedule:
- February 23 - April 20
Credit Hours:
- Approximately 30 (updated information will be posted after pilot participants from the fall 2009 offering report the number of hours they spent)
Cost:
- $259 - Introductory pricing
This course is a collaboration between Employment Resources Inc, the primary training facility for benefits specialists in Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin – Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute. It is the first in a series of courses on benefits. Additional courses will provide more in-depth information and are anticipated to be available in 2010.
Psychiatric Disabilities
Did you know that mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada for those age 15-44? (NIMH). This new course provides an overview of the major types of psychiatric disabilities with a down-to-earth focus on what professionals need to know to provide effective services. Disabilities covered include depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, addictions, and dual diagnoses.
The course content was developed by Susan Reagles, Ph.D., who has more than 25 years experience providing counseling to individuals with post traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and drug abuse, and other psychiatric disorders. Dr. Reagles has worked at a psychiatric center, a medical family practice office, and was the director of an outpatient alcohol and drug abuse treatment center. Dr. Reagles will also be facilitating the course and sharing her expertise in a threaded discussion format.
Cost:
- $110
Credit Hours:
- Since this is the pilot of the course, the number of credit hours will be solidified by averaging the number of hours pilot participants spent. We estimate it will take approximately 15 hours to complete (15 CRC credit hours; 1.5 CEUs).
Schedule
- 2010 dates to be determined
Working with People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Vocational Services for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Providing ethical services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing can present a unique challenge for service providers, whether they are new to the field of rehabilitation or seasoned professionals. The goal of these courses is to enhance professionals’ abilities to understand and effectively provide services for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
Working with Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing focuses on communication and culture aspects. Units include Deaf Culture and Language, Working with Sign Language Interpreters, and Assistive Listening Devices. This course is appropriate for people with minimal experience with individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing or those who would like a refresher. See the syllabus (pdf) for more information.
Vocational Services for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is a more advanced course recommended for professionals who have some familiarity with psychometric testing or are willing to learn about testing concepts. The goal is to increase participants’ familiarity with the range of services available to individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing and enable them to make effective referrals or increase their abilities to provide services themselves. Units include Employment Services, Psychometric Assessment, and Vocational Assessment. See the syllabus (pdf) for more information.
Credit Hours:
Thirteen credit hours/1 CEU will be provided for each course. Two of the thirteen hours in each course are ethics credits. RID credits can be received through PINRA. You must seek approval from a sponsor before the course starts to receive RID credits – we do not have preapproval from RID for this course. Contact April Pierson with questions.
Schedule:
- "Working with..." will be offered March 16 - April 20
- "Vocational services..." will be offered May 4 - June 8
- Both courses will be offered again in fall 2010; exact dates will be set when the time is closer.
Cost:
- $75 for one course; $125 for both
Tour the Courses:
Course tour in Flash
Course tour in Windows Media Player
More information: PEPNet flyer (pdf format)