REHAB REPORTER FALL 2009 EDITION
Rehab Reporter A Newsletter of the Fall 2009 Volume 13, Number 3 In This Issue · President’s Message · 2009 NERA Conference Highlights · Southern Training Highlights · What do Employers look for in Job Candidates? · Northern Training Highlights Contact Us President’s Message Jennifer Doyle, MS, CRC These are truly exciting times for the rehabilitation counseling profession, and I am honored to have had the privilege to represent you as President of our State Chapter of the National Rehabilitation Association during 2009. The first letter that I wrote as president of the New Jersey Rehabilitation Association was about the hopes for the field of rehabilitation in the new administration. So it is perhaps fitting that in this, my last letter as NJRA president, I address some of the work that NJRA has been doing at the local level to assist those with disabilities. Over the past year, myself and other NJRA members have undertaken several new initiatives that speak assisting those with disabilities. In March, I had the opportunity to go to In the 21st century, there is one aspect of any organization that is important - web presence. Upon becoming president, one major goal that I had was a revamping and modernizing of the NJRA website. This has been a step-by-step process to which I have collaborated with Stacey Smith. I would like to thank Stacey for her significant contributions. I encourage all members to visit the NJRA website for updated information regarding the Association’s future endeavors. I would like to personally thank the board members for their insights, hard work, and enthusiasm for this project. You can visit the web site at http://www.njrehabassociation.org/. Due to the economy, professional associations throughout the country are seeing a significant decrease in the number of members on their rosters. NJRA is currently trying to reach out to potential members and develop creative strategies for recruitment endeavors. Joni Dolce, Membership Committee Chairperson, has also provided guidance to this endeavor. We will continue our recruitment efforts to other rehabilitation professionals in I would like to thank Past President Bill Green, for his thoughtful and dedicated leadership over the past year. When Bill rotates off on December 31, 2009, I will become immediate past president, and from that vantage point I will look forward to the opportunity to continue work on rehabilitation initiatives. I would like to welcome Over this past year, I could expect to see e-mails from one or more of the NJRA board members arriving in my inbox at any time between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. This was particularly true of our Past President, Bill Green, who worked especially long hours this past year. Bill was instrumental in our compliance with the IRS and completing the necessary paperwork to remain a non-profit organization. I am truly grateful to have such a wise, dedicated and professional mentor work with me throughout my term as President. I would also like to take this occasion of my last President’s Letter to thank those NJRA board members who serve on committees. These volunteer committee members put a huge amount of time and effort into committee projects. Thank you for all that you do! I would like to acknowledge Brian Fitzgibbons, Acting Director of DVRS and Maryann Tiesler, Program Development Specialist for DVRS. These two individuals have contributed to the CRC credits for our members and assisted with training endeavors that we have had this past year. Thank you so much for your dedication to NJRA - it’s been great working with you! Last but not least, NJRA is very grateful to the organizations and individuals that provided financial support to make our operation possible. I would also like to thank my parents, Dennis and JoAnn Doyle of In closing, my final thank you goes out to you, the membership of NJRA. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve your Association. May we continue to fight and advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities. To each and everyone of you – THANK YOU! HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2009 NERA Conference Maureen Craven, MA, As I drove to the Holiday Inn in Suffern The keynote speaker’s interactive and engaging style matched the group’s willingness to participate in his presentation of “Doing Even More with Less”. Mr. Tim Mc Heffey, author and presenter with over twenty five years of professional experience, demonstrated his ten strategies from the value of utilizing technology to positive attitudinal approaches using humor, cue cards and prizes to the group. The group was engaged and responded with questions about the applications of the interesting, practical and humanistic strategies for improving effectiveness and efficiency in carrying out the daily charge of helping people with disabilities reach their employment goals. The topic couldn’t have been more timely or helpful today when everyone’s staff and time seems to be shrinking while their workloads and challenges grow daily. Beverly Stafford, Executive Director of the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) assumed her position in January 2009 and her enthusiasm and commitment shown through her informative presentation. She discussed the hope and reality of the “stimulus funds” and NRA’s active role supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in saving and creating jobs through programs impacting persons with disabilities. Ms. Stafford was able to give encouraging facts and figures for stimulus funds for the public rehabilitation program over the next two years. She was also able to report on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Rehabilitation Act and highlighted the goal and need to insure transparency and accountability as well as the short term impact and long term gains. She carried information regarding the Ms. Stafford shared her insights into the field of rehabilitation today and tomorrow, the importance of communicating and working together and clearly presented the legislative updates and challenges our profession is facing. It was interesting to note that the “Washington Wire” is sent to over two thousand members electronically. Bringing the organization’s communication to its membership into the twenty first century, she reported that the “Contemporary Rehab” will soon be distributed electronically and highlighted the importance of the membership reporting accurate e-mail contact information. She talked about switching to new website format and software predicting more active and energized web activity for information exchange and dissemination. Ms. Stafford was excited that she is beginning her term with a national office that is well staffed and boasts a new Membership Director who will explore and promote the benefits of NRA membership, so key in these challenging economic times when a variety of professional organizations are competing for membership dollars and participation. One tactic is the inclusion of new categories of membership being considered including an affiliated status for retired members, which could be offered at a reduced membership fee. Economics seemed to touch every issue and the presentation of Ms. Mary Ann Bedick, M.Ed., Walking to the car, the June air was still cool and crisp and I was grateful that it energized me for the road ahead. As I headed home, I thought that the brisk June breeze continued the message of the invigorating winds of change woven throughout the inspirational NERA conference, filled with skills development, stimulating discussion, timely professional rehabilitation information and meeting and greeting those with whom we would share the upcoming challenging rehab road. Dr. Mark Lazarus, MD Presents to Rehabilitation Professionals in Honor of Disability Awareness Month Jennifer Doyle, MS, CRC What Do Employers Look for in Job Candidates? Joni Dolce, MS, CRC, CPRP The unemployment rate in NJ has reached an almost all time high. Reports indicate that for every one job there are six job seekers vying for that position. These are staggering statistics. More than ever before it is critical for job seekers to have a greater awareness of what employers are looking for in job candidates. A recent study conducted in First, let’s address the issue of disclosure. Disclosure of the presence of any disability, mental or physical, is personal in nature. Deciding to disclose a disability opens up the threat of discrimination. However, disclosure may also open up the opportunity for accommodations and modifications to the job or job site. This decision should be carefully considered and well planned. It is important to consider the timing of disclosure, particularly if the disability is not visible. Is an accommodation needed in order to complete the application or interview? Or, are accommodations needed to perform specific job duties? An accommodation can be requested at any time during an employee’s tenure with the job. If an accommodation is not needed for the application or interview process, an applicant may choose to disclose the need for accommodations after a job offer has been extended. This may help to ensure that the employer cannot discriminate or not hire someone based on the knowledge of a presence of a disability. Review the Job Accommodation Network’s (JAN) web site for further information on the disclosure process and possible accommodations for people with psychiatric disabilities. You can find this information at: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/. Or, you can contact them by phone at (800)526-7234 (V) (877)781-9403 (TTY). Second, is the issue surrounding employment gaps. Some questions to consider are: What types of activities has the job seeker been engaged in since his last job? Have they been taking classes? Are there organizations or associations that the job seeker has been involved with during times of unemployment? Have they been volunteering? Consider all of the activities that the job seeker has been engaged in since his last job. Assist the job seeker in having this information prepared before completing an application or interviewing for a position. This preparation will enhance the person’s confidence in explaining gaps in employment. Finally, highlight on the application or resume the qualities that employers look for in an ideal employee: reliability, flexibility, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to get the job done. If the job seeker is called in for an interview, make sure these qualities are conveyed to the employer. The job seeker should emphasize his reliability and flexibility by highlighting past achievements that underscore these positive traits. You can assist in identifying times in the past that demonstrated the job seeker’s ability to effectively and efficiently complete a job task or responsibility. Job seekers should be prepared to provide examples. Also, assist job seekers in enhancing interpersonal skills thorough role playing interviews and other communications (i.e., phone calls, etc.) with employers. Remember, employers want employees who not only have the skills to perform the job, but will also fit into the workplace and get along with other employees. Reference Bates, F. & Dolce, J. (2009). Hiring and employing individuals with psychiatric disabilities: A focus group study with human resource professionals. Manuscript submitted for publication. NJRA Free Northern Training Event, 10/13/09 Amy M. Kaboski, MS, LRC, CRC, CPRP, NCC, DCC NJRA President-Elect, NJDVRS VR Counselor NJRA hosted a free ½ day training in northern NJ at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in This training was very well attended with almost 50 registrants! NJRA received very positive feedback on this free training event and requests were made for similar trainings in the future. NJRA welcomes your suggestions for future trainings at all times to ensure the needs of our members are met. Please email your suggestions to Amy.Kaboski@dol.state.nj.us. Many thanks to Rebecca Shulman (NJRA, JVS) and Jim Fasciani (Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation) who were both very instrumental in planning this event. Without their assistance, this event would not have been possible. Many thanks to all of our presenters for their time and informative presentations. NJRA also thanks NJDVRS for co-sponsoring this event, as many attendees are current NJDVRS employees. Stay tuned for details about NJRA's upcoming Annual Meeting, which will be held in December 2009, as well as Connections & Directions 2010 (joint conference with ACCSES NJ), which is scheduled for 4/26/2010.
"The New Jersey Rehabilitation Association (NJNRA) is a member organization whose mission is to promote ethical and excellent practice in rehabilitation."Intelligent. Charming. Knowledgeable. These are just three of the words used to describe Dr. Mark Lazarus, MD of the Rothman Institute. The New Jersey Rehabilitation Association hosted a training session on October 8th, 2009 at the Gloucester County Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Office in Thorofare where Dr. Lazarus provided excellent information specifically about the rehabilitation issues of shoulder injuries to rehabilitation professionals throughout the State in honor of Disability Awareness Month. The session reviewed common terms found on medical records, common procedures performed and actual video footage of various procedures that Dr. Lazarus has conducted.
The session started with an introduction about the common myths associated with “frozen shoulder”, SLAP tears and physical therapy for certain conditions including arthritis. The presentation also included a briefing on the importance of the shoulder exercises after a patient’s operation to reduce the chances of stiffness and total disability for the patient in the future.
The session was very active throughout, with rehabilitation professionals asking questions which were well entertained. The session gave a lot of insight to attendees about how to handle various difficult rehabilitation situations that are commonly crossing the desks of those in rehabilitation. It was a very interactive session and for those who walked in clueless about the rehabilitation issues of the shoulder and felt intimidated by the terminology. They were able to go back to their offices with a lot more enthusiasm and confidence about assisting those who have impediments going back to their previous profession after a shoulder injury.
The New Jersey Rehabilitation Association would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mark Lazarus, MD for giving of his time to for this presentation. Dr. Lazarus is an Orthopedic Surgeon with the Rothman Institute. Dr. Lazarus received his undergraduate degree from
Stacey Smith, MS CRC
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
DVRS
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