U n i v e r s i t y
o f
W i s c o n s i n - S t o u t
Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute
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S p r i n g
V o l u m e
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
A Note from the Executive Director
A Note from the
Cayte Anderson, Ph.D., CRC
Executive Director…………..1,2
Eligibility and Order of Selection Assessment Services Project……………………………………2
SVRI and AT&T Teamed up to
Host “Developers Day”………..3
Thank You to Positive Alternatives, Inc. …………...…………….3
CARF Re-accreditation……….4
Staff Activities…………………...4
Open House Recap……………..5
Alumni Spotlight………………..6
Staff News…………………………7
SVRI Welcomes 7 New Staff
Members……………………….7-9
Congratulations, Cayte Anderson………………………………….10
Professional
Development
Opportunities and Upcoming
Events…………………………….11
SVRI
Finding
Dear Colleagues,
The team at SVRI
continues to innovate
and develop new service delivery options
to enhance the field of
rehabilitation. In this
issue, you will learn
about the exciting new
Eligibility and Order
of Selection Assessment Services project
underway with our
colleagues at the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and meet
our newest team
members. You will
also have an opportunity to learn about
the fun AT&T Connect
Ability Design Challenge taking place on
campus. The design
challenge is a crossdisciplinary collaboration involving SVRI
staff and students and
faculty from the Rehabilitation Counseling,
Engineering, and
Computer Sciences
departments. The
Answers ,
Cr eating
N e w s l e t t e r
1 7 ,
I s s u e
2
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) set
the course as a critical
piece of Civil Rights
legislation twenty-five
years ago. Our daily
work is directly
aligned with the ADA
and we are proud to
continue embracing
both the letter and
PROMISE
spirit of the law in all
www.promisewi.org
our services and initiatives moving forward. Individual Placement and
Support (IPS)
We continue our comwww.dhs.wisconsin.gov/
mitment to research,
mh/ips.htm
knowledge translation,
and leadership
www.co.chippewa.wi.us/
through exciting part- government/humannerships with the
services/western-regionPROMISE project, In- recovery-and-wellnessdividual Placement
consortium/
and Support (IPS), the individualized-placement
Rehabilitation Re-support-supportivesearch Center on Evi- employment
dence-Based Practice
in Vocational Rehabili- Rehabilitation Research
& Training Center (RRTC
tation (RRTC-EBP
www.research2vrpractice
VR), and direct services. For updated in- .org
formation on these iniCONTINUED ON PAGE 2
tiatives, please feel
free to visit the following web addresses:
Solutions,
Ensuring
Futures.
1
Eligibility and Order of Selection Assessment Services Project
SVRI has partnered with
the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
(DVR) for a pilot project. Beginning this
May, SVRI will begin
accepting referrals to
the Eligibility and Order
of Selection Assessment
Services Unit from three
DVR offices, located
within Workforce Development Areas (WDA) 1,
2, and 3.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Finally, the Workforce
Innovation Opportunities
Act (WIOA) presents new
prospects for innovative
employment services for
youth with disabilities.
WIOA, along with the
updated home and community-based waiver regulations from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issue
a strengthened emphasis
It’s estimated that DVR
counselors spend 1520% of their time on the
intake process, which
includes determining
eligibility and Order Of
Selection placement. One of the expected outcomes of the
pilot is counselors will
now have more time to
spend working with consumers on developing
the Individual Plan for
Employment (IPE) and
vocational counseling
and guidance.
on integrated, community-based employment for
individuals with disabilities. The timing of these
substantial legislative
and regulatory updates
provides a unique opportunity for rehabilitation
professionals and systems to re-design and
enhance existing business models. As a university partner, we do not
provide long-term em-
ployment or communityliving supports. However, we understand the
important implications
these changes will present in the field regarding service capacity and
delivery options. As a
solution-focused public
partner, we welcome
your suggestions on how
we can be a positive force
to assist with this transition. Please feel free to
SVRI staff members, who
have been trained by
DVR counselors and supervisors, will make recommendations for eligibility and the order of selection process after conducting intake interviews
with consumers. The pilot project will be evaluat-
ed and reviewed for quality, consumer satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness. The pilot is designed to run for 12
months, with ongoing
review during that time
frame. Additional offices
within each WDA participating in the pilot will be
added as the program
develops.
send your training ideas
and suggestions directly
to nierenhausene@uwstout.edu.
Best wishes for a healthy
summer,
Cayte
Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook
and FOLLOW us on Twitter to show
your support and to stay current with
updates.
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SVRI and AT&T Teamed up to Host “Developers Day”
In commemoration of
the 25th Anniversary of
the Americans with Disabilities Act, SVRI and
the University of Wisconsin-Stout are involved in the “Connect
Ability” Design Challenge, an international
design competition
sponsored by AT&T and
RESNA (The Rehabilitation Engineering and
Assistive Technology
Association of North
America). Other universities involved in the
Design Challenge include MIT, Duke, and
Johns Hopkins.
On May 16th, The University of Wisconsin-
Stout and SVRI hosted a
“Developers Day”,
where interested students, who are programmers and app developers had the opportunity
to develop and present a
software based solution
that will advance the
lives of people with disabilities. Welcoming
and opening remarks
were made by Scott T.
VanderSanden, the
President of AT&T Wisconsin and Dr. Mary
Hopkins-Best, the Dean
of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences for UWStout. Local
“exemplars” who were
on hand to lend their
perspective of living
with a disability included Will Etzbach of SVRI
and Kyle Kleist of UWStout’s Rehabilitation
and Counseling Department. Paul Schwartz of
SVRI organized the oncampus event and Meghan Donahue gave a
presentation to the attendees on useful app
features for people with
disabilities.
The winning local team
from UW-Stout consisted of students from the
computer engineering
and vocational rehabilitation majors. This
team will now develop
their concept into a
working software based
solution for the international competition. The
prize money for this
competition totals
$100,000 and the winners will be announced
in New York City on July 26, 2015 -- the 25th
Anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information on this event,
check out http://
connectability.challengepost.com/.
Thank You to Positive Alternatives, Inc.
A sincere THANK YOU
to our colleagues at Positive Alternatives, Inc.
for their generous donation to SVRI. Positive
Alternatives is a private
non-profit, communitybased, multi-service or-
F i n d i n g
ganization serving youth
and families in Wisconsin. Through a continuum of family and
strength-based services,
Positive Alternatives, Inc.
strives to equip at-risk
youth and young adults
A n s w e r s ,
C r e a t i n g
with the social, emotional soncay@uwstout.edu
and developmental skills
needed to flourish.
Questions regarding
SVRI donation options
can be directed to Cayte
Anderson at ander-
S o l u t i o n s ,
E n s u r i n g
F u t u r e s .
3
CARF Re-accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF),
granted a three-year reaccreditation to Stout
Vocational Rehabilitation
Institute that began in
April 2015. SVRI has
strengths in many areas.
Here are just a few commendations that were
reported in the 2015
CARF Survey Report...
“Staff members are dedicated to the organization’s work, obviously
invested in SVRI, open to
suggestions and new ideas, and willing to look at
how to improve processes, which is a clear indication of commitment to
continual learning.”
“The organization’s leadership promotes personcentered thinking with
the consumers and
demonstrates participative management practices with its staff members. This is clear from
the dean down to the
techs.”
“The staff member’s
dedication, concern,
and teamwork to consumers are commended. The staff members are responsive to
the consumers needs
and willing to assist
them.”
“Assistive technology
staff members demonstrate a strong commit-
ment to consumers and
have established systems
to allow consumers to
find and use the best
equipment. The staff
members are very person-centered and clearly
customize their efforts
based on consumers’
needs.”
“Consumers are highly
satisfied with the services that they receive
from SVRI and have
strong praise for the
staff members for their
efforts in assisting them
with their job development and job attainment.”
members have developed
and understand that relationships and community resources are important for consumers’
success.”
“Staff members are
knowledgeable about
benefits and the potential impact that these
changes can have on
consumers.”
“Services are delivered
on a timely basis to consumers.”
“Staff members are well
connected to community
resources. The staff
Staff Activities
Jaclyn Wilsey, Assistive
Technologist at SVRI,
presented at the 6th Annual Youth Transition
Conference held by the
University of WisconsinStout in April 2015. The
title of her presentation
was “Don't Worry...Be
Appy." This session presented different apps to
S V R I
the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus, and
meet with vendors. The
highlight of the conference for many is the netThe 1-day conference is
working with others with
for youth with disabilities
disabilities. A majority
transitioning from high
of attendees are youth
school to life. Attendees
with disabilities, with
have the opportunity to
parents, school personlisten to speakers, tour
nel, and local service prohelp transition age youth
with every day tasks for
independent living,
school, and employment.
N E W S L E T T E R
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viders representing a
smaller percentage. Over
400 individuals from
Western Wisconsin attended the conference.
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Open House Recap
Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute hosted
an Open House on April
16, 2015. A total of 18
individuals were in attendance and represented SVRI, DVR, CEHSS,
Center for Independent
Living (CILWW), Department of Rehab and
Counseling, REACH,
ContinuUs, and Citizens
Employment and Training. Attendees had the
opportunity to attend a
professional development session offered by
SVRI staff member,
Jaclyn Wilsey. Jaclyn
Wilsey, Assistive Technologist at SVRI, presented on “Vision Loss
Technology”. During the
presentation, individuals
learned about the variety
of assistive technology
devices available for individuals who have low vision or blindness. Wilsey
reviewed simple techniques to accommodate
low vision, as well as reviewed the different lowtech and high-tech solutions. The interactive
presentation allowed attendees to trial different
types of assistive technol-
accommodations, and
ogy. CRC ethics credits
were provided to individ- much more.
uals at this session.
Thank you to SVRI staff
Following the presenta- and attendees for making
tion, Erika Peterson lead the first open house of
an informational lab tour 2015 a success.
of SVRI. Attendees had
SVRI anticipates holding
the opportunity to see
another open house this
the Adaptive Mobility
fall, though a date has
Lab, Computer Access &
not been finalized. More
Office Ergonomics Lab,
information to follow in
Fabrication Lab, Comthe summer 2015 newsmunity Integration Lab,
letter.
Vocational Evaluation
Lab, Sensory Lab, Driving Simulation Lab,
Hearing and Vision Loss
Community Integration Lab
Computer Access & Office Ergonomics Lab
Jaclyn Wilsey, Assistive Technologist
F i n d i n g
A n s w e r s ,
C r e a t i n g
S o l u t i o n s ,
E n s u r i n g
F u t u r e s .
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Alumni Spotlight
Meet Juliet Fried!
My name is Juliet Fried
and I am a proud 1977
graduate of the master’s
program in Vocational
Rehabilitation with a
Specialty in Vocational
Evaluation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
(The title of the academic
program was a little bit
different when I attended
Stout.) In addition to my
master’s degree, I have a
doctoral degree from the
University of Northern
Colorado (UNC) in Rehabilitation Counseling, and
am a CRC, CVE and PVE.
Since graduating from
Stout, I have been employed as a Vocational
Evaluator, Vocational
Evaluation Supervisor,
Rehabilitation Counselor,
and Director of a comprehensive Career Development Center. At the risk
of showing my age, I am
happy to add that during
the past 30 years I also
have been a Professor at
the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley
teaching Rehabilitation
S V R I
Counseling, Vocational
Evaluation, and Human
Services courses, as well
as serving in several other
concurrent roles at UNC
including Department
Chair and Executive Director of the Rehabilitative Services Clinic.
I have found that professional relationships are
so important in our lives
for a number of reasons
including mentorship,
growth, opportunities,
and even friendship. A
great many of my professional relationships began at Stout and continue
Attending Stout was one to this day. I am still in
of the best decisions I ev- contact with some of my
er made! It introduced
professors and some of
me to a wonderful profes- my peers who also atsion; professional group tended Stout, and haveof people including my
professors, the staff at
“Attending Stout was one
SVRI, leaders in the field,
of the best decisions I
both on-campus and offcampus, and professional ever made! It introduced
organizations that were
me to a wonderful proso important in my profession; professional
fessional development.
While I have continued to group of people including
grow as a professional
my professors, the staff
since graduating from
Stout many years ago, the at SVRI, and leaders in
impact of that Stout edu- the field.”
cation has always been
significant in my life. It
had the enormously gratiprovided a strong founda- fying opportunity to serve
tion of competency-based as major doctoral advisor
education on which I
for two current faculty/
have built a career that
staff at Stout (Dr.
has allowed me to contin- Michelle Hamilton and
ue to help others build
Dr. John Lui) who retheir careers. The diceived their doctoral dedactic courses, along with grees from my university.
the applied hands-on
I also have developed
learning that was preva- professional relationships
lent in my education,
with more recent Stout
were key factors to my
graduates and faculty/
success. I not only
staff through involvelearned knowledge and
ments in professional orskills in the classroom but ganizations, as well as
was able to transfer all of taught a few courses for
this in applied settings in the Stout online graduate
the community and with program. Additionally, I
real clients.
was able to return to
N E W S L E T T E R
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Stout in the fall of 2010
during my sabbatical to
benefit from the expertise
of SVRI’s Benefits Counseling staff in learning
about the important services they provide. I truly
value all of these relationships for what they have
brought to my life and
career throughout the
years.
Stout’s Rehabilitation
Programs, including the
degree programs and the
many activities of and
services provided by
SVRI, have always been
recognized for its excellence and innovation in
instruction, service delivery, research, and leadership. I am extremely
pleased to have benefited
from and been associated
with these programs beginning as a master’s student and continuing
through today.”
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Staff News
L
yndsey Ebling has been an Employment and Work Incentive Benefits Specialist with SVRI since January 2013. Before her employment with SVRI,
Lyndsey graduated from Stout with a degree in Vocational Rehabilitation. This spring, Lyndsey joined the Eligibility and Order of Selection unit
within SVRI. In her spare time, Lyndsey enjoys spending time outside, playing board games with friends and family, and spending time with her dog
Rylie.
SVRI Welcomes 7 New Staff Members to the
Eligibility and Order of Selection Assessment Unit
M
isty Berg graduated from Chippewa Valley Technical College with an
Administrative Assistant Associates Degree. After she graduated,
she worked at an insurance company in Eau Claire for about 10 years in
Claims and Customer Service. She worked as an LTE for a short time at
UW-Eau Claire and then accepted a position at Pepin County Department
of Human Services, where she worked for about 14 ½ years. She is married
and has three children ages 20, 17, and 12.
W
ill Etzbach attended Southern Illinois University where he received a
M.S. with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Counseling. He has worked
with a wide variety of disabilities and preformed several roles over the years.
Most recently, he has been preforming the role of a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the past 15 years. He is very happy to be a part of the
SVRI team and a part of the Eligibility and OOS unit.
F i n d i n g
A n s w e r s ,
C r e a t i n g
S o l u t i o n s ,
E n s u r i n g
F u t u r e s .
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New Staff Members
S
kyler Gerland graduated from Stout this spring with a degree in Vocational Rehabilitation with a concentration in Independent Living. She
recently completed an internship at the Center for Independent Living for
Western Wisconsin. She looks forward to working with SVRI in the Eligibility and Order of Selection unit as a Case Facilitator. She is happy to be able
to continue to call UW-Stout and Menomonie her home!
J
eff Lund is excited to be starting as a Case Facilitator with SVRI on the
Eligibility and OOS Team. For the past 13 years he has worked as an Employment Counselor with Workforce Resource and worked in several of the
area counties of West Central WI. He moved to Menomonie this past fall with
his wife and two boys after living in the Boyceville area since 1999. He earned
his MS in Vocational Rehabilitation from Stout. He enjoys spending time
with his family, trying to keep up with his boys, and working on updating his
new home in Menomonie. He looks forward to getting to know everyone
here at SVRI.
M
ichael Manning is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist at SVRI. He
attended Creighton University, majoring in Psychology and Political
Science. He received his J.D. from Hamline University School of Law where
he specialized in Health Law and chaired the Minnesota Justice Foundation
student organization, which focused on placing law students into Legal Aid
and volunteer positions. He enjoys playing with dogs, sports, fishing, reading, cooking, and “being a nerd in his free time”.
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New Staff Members
A
mber Schoneick graduated from UW-Stout with a degree in Graphic
Communications Management, and she is working towards a Master of
Science degree in Training and Development. Her background consists of supportive roles in business and industry, as well as human resources and training. These roles have utilized her desire to work with and help people of all
backgrounds. She is married, and has two young children in elementary
school. In her free time, she enjoys gardening with her family on a one-quarter
acre plot, scrapbooking and card making, sewing, and playing games with her
family. Any given Saturday afternoon each summer, you may also find her
fishing in the area’s many lakes, rivers, and streams.
I
vy Schofield is the Program Manager for the new Eligibility and OOS Unit
pilot program at Stout’s Vocational Rehabilitation Institute. She is responsible for program management and staff supervision within the unit. She has a
Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Victim and Offender Services and has enjoyed focusing on community rehabilitation.
From 2011 to 2012, she worked as a Criminogenic Needs Specialist within Dunn
County’s Diversion Court and Deferred Plea Agreement. She also conducted an
evaluation of local treatment providers and their services and in consultation
with the Dunn County Criminal Justice Collaboration Council and Julienne Giard, M.S.W., Co-Occurring Disorders and Evidence-based Practices Consultant,
authored “A Roadmap to Improve Services and Outcomes for Individuals with
Co-Occurring Disorders.” This report was the first of its kind in Dunn County and provided recommendations for an evidence-based/best practices treatment protocol for criminal justice participants with cooccurring mental health and substance use disorders. It also discussed supported employment and recommendations for the Employer/Community Service Sites’ Needs/Criminal Justice Participants’ Skills Match
Database Project. The recommendations are now being implemented within Dunn County’s treatment
courts.
She has also worked as an employment consultant, a domestic violence treatment provider, a business owner
and co-director of a local wellness/rehabilitation center, a volunteer ALS advocate and board member, and
group facilitator within the local jail and prison system. She is a member of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin
and a Wisconsin Certified Batterer Treatment Provider, focusing on domestic abuse prevention and education. She was recently asked to join the Wisconsin Batterer Treatment Providers Association’s education
committee to help develop standards for those interested in becoming certified providers. She also enjoys
providing community re-entry services for those individuals recently released from jail or prison. In her free
time, she enjoys writing, biking, running, kayaking, working in the yard, decorating, candle-making, photography, focusing on health and wellness, and spending time with her husband and son.
F i n d i n g
A n s w e r s ,
C r e a t i n g
S o l u t i o n s ,
E n s u r i n g
F u t u r e s .
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Congratulations, Cayte Anderson!
Dr. Cayte Anderson, the Executive Director of SVRI, was selected as the Senior Outstanding Researcher for 2015-16.
The Senior Outstanding Researcher Award recognizes a
highly noteworthy individual for their leadership and significant contributions to research and scholarly activities at UW
-Stout and who has been at UW-Stout for 7 or more years.
The process for selecting the Senior Outstanding Researcher
requires former recipients of the award to evaluate the nomination papers of those who were nominated or selfnominated. The evaluations are discussed with the Provost
who makes the decision. The UW-Stout Research Day
Award Ceremony was held on Tuesday, April 28.
Congratulations Cayte!
Professional Development
Opportunities
CRC Exam Preparation Workshop

August 6–October 1, 2015
Rehabilitation Ethics

August 27-October 1, 2015
New Dual Sensory Course

October 12-December 7, 2015
Left to right: Chancellor Bob Meyer, Cayte Anderson, Interim Provost Jackie Weissenberger
Upcoming Events
Wheelchair Clinics

June 9, 2015

July 14, 2015

August 11, 2015
ADA 25th Anniversary

July 26th, 2015
If you would like more information about training opportunities and/or upcoming events, please visit
www.uwstout.edu/svri.
STOUT VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION INSTITUTE
221 10TH Avenue E. Menomonie, WI 54751 715/232-2571 Fax 715/232-5008
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstou.edu/svri