Hello, and welcome to Level Up, Indiana! A newsletter by PCG to share Vocational Rehabilitation employment provider stories and best practices. This week we want to introduce you to Virginia "Ginger" Chiacchira, and share some info about an upcoming program we have for supervisors in the VR employment services world. But first, we’d like to bring your attention to a survey request from the State of Indiana’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

Your answers to their needs assessment survey are very important in helping them determine how to improve services and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Please take a moment to share your ideas and feedback with VRS by clicking here.

The survey is anonymous. You will not be asked for your name or contact information. You can answer all questions or just the questions that are important to you.

Last week, Ginger and I spoke on the phone about our coaching program, and a recurring topic for her was the Discovery Profile. Here is what she had to say:

What I often notice with new employment consultants is that they don't understand how to use the discovery profile in the way it is intended. What I've learned through practice is that the results change radically when you sit with a participant and do the discovery profile and planning with them—that's one of the things I teach. Let the participant tell you what their thoughts, feelings, and interests are for the discovery activities. The impact can be huge! We need to be letting our participants be our guide, rather than insisting that we guide them.

Ginger is one of our many amazing coaches in our coaching network. She is a Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) working as a Senior Employment Consultant with New Horizons Rehabilitation. She has won the IN-APSE 1st Quarter 2021 Spotlight Award for Employment Specialist. You can work with her and get customized insight from her on a contextual level.

Learn about our coaching program and how you can participate here.

Level up, Indiana! Supervisor Circle

If you’re not yet sure if you want to engage with our Coaching Network, but you’re still interested in learning from those in the industry, be sure to join our Supervisor Circle! We meet virtually on the third Thursday of each month. Details can be found here.

Thank You

From our desks to your programs across Indiana, we want to thank you for what you’re doing for the people of Indiana! VR employment providers are essential to community services and results in so many lived being powerfully impacted.

If you have a story that you’d like shared in our newsletter, you can send it to us by responding to this newsletter. Have a great week!

-The Level Up Team