• Upcoming Course

    ACRE-Approved Supported Employment Course

    Registration for the next ACRE-Approved Supported Employment Course is now available! A participant can earn 4 CEUs or 40 CRCs and the National Certificate in Employment Services issued by the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators upon course completion. The course begins January 8, 2024. Registration closes January 2nd. Register today!!

    Register Here

    Image saying ACRE Approved Supported Employment Online Course. Dates January 8 to April 1, 2024. Registration closes January 2nd. With and image of a computer that says e-Learning
  • VCU-RRTC-Transition

    RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities

    The VCU-RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities focuses on pre-employment training for younger adolescents, postsecondary and supported college education training for universities that are serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as internships for youth with emotional, learning and behavioral disorders.

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    A young man looking and smiling at the camera in a mail room.
  • VCU-RRTC-IDD

    RRTC on Employment of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

    The VCU-RRTC on Employment of Persons with IDD will conduct multiphase studies that examine the critical variables that have the potential to improve the competitive integrated employment (CIE) outcomes for individuals with IDD and enhance rehabilitation professionals and other stakeholders' capacity to provide employment opportunities and supports.

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    A young lady with Down Syndrome working on a laptop.
  • VCU-ACE

    VCU Autism Center for Education

    VCU-ACE is a university-based technical assistance, professional development, and educational research center for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VCU-ACE improves services and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by promoting the implementation of research-based practices in schools and the community through training, technical assistance, research, and collaboration.

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    Two people looking at an iPad.
  • VCU-CTI

    Center on Transition Innovations

    The Center on Transition Innovations (CTI) at Virginia Commonwealth University is a centralized statewide portal for information, resources, demonstration, and research for educators and other stakeholders in the transition of youth with disabilities. CTI provides evidence-based resources and information along with emerging practices in the field. The results of research studies and demonstration projects conducted here in Virginia help us shape the ongoing work of CTI.

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    Two people looking at an iPad.
  • National Center on Self-Employment

    National Center on Self-Employment, Business Ownership, and Telecommuting

    The purpose of this Center is to build the capacity of Federal and State public agencies and private entities to support people with disabilities in achieving self-employment, business ownership, or telecommuting as employment outcomes.

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    A chef working on dough
  • WIPA-NTDC


    Work Incentives Planning & Assistance National Training and Data Center

    The Virginia Commonwealth University National Training and Data Center (NTDC) provides comprehensive training and technical assistance to Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects, the Ticket to Work Help Line, and community partners to ensure accurate and timely support for beneficiaries on the road to employment and financial independence.

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    Two people looking at an iPad.
RRTC In The News
A new VCU-led project will support high-risk youth transitioning out of incarceration: Project Belong will provide mental health, education and vocational support to 75 youth transitioning out of Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center.
Latest news

Getting and Keeping a Job if You Have an Intellectual and Developmental Disability

Carol Schall, Ph.D.

What help is available for a person with a disability who has had trouble getting a job or keeping a job? Most states have 3 different agencies or organizations that people with disabilities can go to to find help. The first is the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Different states have different names for Vocational Rehabilitation. It might be the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation or the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services or the Department of Aging and Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

JVR Editorial by Paul Wehman, Ph.D

Supported employment and customized employment: How effective are these interventions and what has been their impact on the field? In the last 20 years, Customized Employment (CE) has joined Supported Employment (SE) which has its roots traced back to approximately 1980, as a popular employment intervention. SE became codified originally in the Rehabilitation Act of 1986 through Title 6 C, dedicated exclusively to funding SE, along with the primary source of all rehabilitation funding, Title 110, for basic employment services. CE began to receive much more attention when the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014) was passed by Congress and CE was codified along with SE and numerous other priorities.

Supported & Customized Employment: Side by Side Referral Decision Guide

Supported & Customized Employment: Side by Side Referral Decision Guide

For vocational rehabilitation agencies offering both supported and customized employment approaches to pursuing employment for people with disabilities, there may be questions about which approach is best based on an individual’s circumstances. This new Supported and Customized Employment Side-by-Side Referral Decision Guide can help determine how to choose between these two approaches.

VR Map & Policies

US Map

This map shows the policies and procedures for self-employment services for individuals with disabilities from each state VR.

Self-Employment Policy Paper

Understanding the Provision of Self-Employment For People with Disabilities in the United States

The Center on Self-Employment researched and summarized self-employment policies for the 50 States plus the District of Columbia. In total, 73 State VR Agencies were included in this research: 29 Combined VR Agencies, 22 General VR Agencies, and 22 Blind VR Agencies.

This paper represents the background and impetus behind the policy review, summarizes the findings, and offers initial considerations and recommendations for state VR policymakers. The report identified four key opportunities that VR agencies can pursue to increase equitable access to self-employment services.