Innovation Inspiration Expo

Innovative projects created, developed and implemented by YOU!
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Thank you for your presence at this year's 2024 Innovation Inspiration Expo. We trust that the presentations were both enlightening and enjoyable. 


 

Stay tuned for a "Save the Date" as we look forward to welcoming you to our future event. 

This conference revolves around the belief that the most innovative and creative solutions are often born from the minds of frontline vocational rehabilitation professionals like yourself. 
We invite you to: 

  1. Share Your Ideas: Join in the discussion about your innovative solutions, creative projects, and fresh ideas with fellow professionals.
  2. Discover New Perspectives: Be inspired by your peers and start thinking differently about vocational rehabilitation.
  3. Revitalize Your Commitment: Reconnect with your creative abilities and rekindle your passion for improving the vocational rehabilitation landscape.
Agenda

AGENDA

Day One – Wednesday, January 17th 

10:00 – 11:30 AM CST                   
Welcome 
Speakers: Kyle Walker, SVRI Executive Director, and Beth Gaertner, SVRI Director of Education
Keynote Presentation: 
Nurturing Innovation: Leadership & Organizational Culture 
Speakers: Kyle Walker, SVRI Executive Director, and Russ Thelin, Institute for Community Inclusion 

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM CST
Live Presentation with Q&A:
Evolve: VR
Speakers: Natasha Jerde and Jon Benson from Minnesota State Services for the Blind            

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM CST              
Break

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CST                
Keynote Presentation: 
California's Innovation Projects: Putting Our Customers First
Speaker: Mark Erlichman, Deputy Director of the Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Division at the California Department of Rehabilitation

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM CST                
Live Presentation with Q&A:
Meeting VR Challenges with VR
Speakers: Margaret Glenn, Elisabeth Simpson, Barb Schiedermayer, and David Smith from AIR4VR West Virginia University

Watch the On-Demand Concurrent Sessions

Day Two - Thursday, January 18th 

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST           
Live Presentation with Q&A: 
Rehabilitation Counseling and Artificial Intelligence
Speakers: Christopher Skerritt and Paul Bourgeois from Kincaid Wolstein Vocational and Rehabilitation Services

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST           
Keynote Presentation: 
Creativity, Innovation, and Critical Thinking - My Journey
Speaker: Steve Wooderson, Chief Executive Officer, CSAVR

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM CST              
Break

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST               
Live Presentation with Q&A: 
Implementation Science and Quality Employment 
Speakers: Emily Brinck, Jessica Holton, Cayte Anderson, Beth Gaertner, Jeff Meyer, and Stacie Castillo from Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment

2:00 PM – 2:10 PM CST  
Closing Remarks 

Watch the On-Demand Concurrent Sessions

Agenda is subject to updates and adjustments as needed. 

Our Sponsors

Current Sponsors

Top Level Sponsors

CSAVR logo

 

Alliance Enterprises logo

 

Platinum Sponsors

Outlook Insight logo

 

NTCTRL logo

Sponsorship Opportunity

Benefits of Sponsoring the Innovation Inspiration Expo

Investment: Invest in your brand equity by supporting the community of rehabilitation professionals.

Talent: Connect with line staff, supervisors, and agency directors who are at the forefront of the rehabilitation and assistive technology field.

Leadership: Demonstrate your organization’s leadership and innovative practices in front of the brightest minds in the field.

The Innovation Inspiration Expo is a grassroots effort to connect all vocational rehabilitation professionals to educate, discuss, and share different and inspiring practices that are working in the field

Sponsorship Brochure 

Become a Sponsor Today 

Request for Proposal

An Annual Virtual Event Hosted by the

University of Wisconsin-Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (SVRI)

Dates: January 17-18, 2024

Purpose: Provide a virtual forum for sharing innovative and creative solutions in vocational rehabilitation (VR) that are field-initiated (frontline), improve the consumer VR experience, and result in high-quality employment outcomes

Philosophy: Some of the most innovative and creative solutions come from professionals who work directly with consumers and recognize needs, opportunities, and new possibilities. This expo is designed to give frontline VR professionals a forum to share new ideas, innovative solutions, and creative projects with others in the field. It is also an opportunity to be inspired by peers to think differently, reconnect with creative abilities, and revitalize professional commitment by seeing the field from an exciting new perspective. The expo will be offered virtually on an annual basis to ensure the ability of all frontline staff to attend, participate, and be inspired.

Location: Virtual/Online

Presenters:  All staff and organizations – public, non-profit, and for-profit - involved in services to VR clients are encouraged to submit a presentation proposal. This includes support staff, counselors, supervisors, district managers, and senior managers/agency directors. Relevant organizations include State VR Agencies, Community Rehabilitation Programs, VR Service Providers, Independent Living Centers, Veterans Services, Health Care Providers, State Labor Agencies, Special Education Teachers, Adaptive Technology Specialists, American Job Centers, Private Companies, and others involved in helping people with disabilities to maximize their participation in the workforce.

Audience: The target audience for the expo includes staff members of Public VR Agencies, Community Rehabilitation Programs, VR Service Providers (non-profit and for-profit), Independent Living Centers, Veterans Services, Health Care Providers, State Labor Agencies, Special Education Programs, American Job Centers, Higher Education Institutions, Public and Private Funders, Community Partners, Private Businesses and others who want to learn about innovative solutions to help people with disabilities maximize their participation in the workforce.

Proposal Design:      

  1. The proposal should describe an innovative solution, activity, project, or program started within the presenter’s organization by one or more staff members. The innovative practice does not need to be evidence-based or backed by research, but it should have been in use for one year or more and have some proof of efficacy. The hope is to find grassroots problem-solving within organizations, including “crazy thoughts” that became successful new processes, approaches, or programs.
  2. All presentations will be prerecorded. The selected presentations will be available 24/7 for the conference and for several weeks after the end of the conference.
  3. There will be scheduled live sessions with selected presentations. For selected presentations, the members of the presentation will be present to answer questions during the Live Discussion.
  4. All material contained in a presentation or as separate handouts must be available for conference attendees to download and use at their discretion.  No presentations which contain proprietary materials will be allowed. No presentations which appear to the review committee to be ads for a presenter’s product will be allowed. 
  5. If a potential presenter considers this an opportunity to show a new product to potential customers, we recommend purchasing a sponsorship to the conference and showcasing their product(s) in the vendor hall.

Questions and/or Assistance Preparing the Proposal:

The goal is to secure a broad range of presenters and topics for this expo. The expo committee is especially interested in examples of innovative strategies, solutions, projects, and programs that were created by or in collaboration with marginalized communities and/or with underserved or unserved populations and that meet the needs of people with the most significant disabilities.

You can expect to hear back from us after September 29, 2023, about next steps.

For questions about this Request for Proposals or assistance preparing the proposal, email svri.training@gmail.com.

Proposal Submission Form

Purpose

Provide a virtual forum for sharing innovative and creative solutions in vocational rehabilitation (VR) that are field initiated (frontline), improve the consumer VR experience, and result in high-quality employment outcomes.

Philosophy

Some of the most innovative and creative solutions come from professionals who work directly with consumers and recognize needs, opportunities, and new possibilities. This expo is designed to give frontline VR professionals a forum to share new ideas, innovative solutions, and creative projects with others in the field. It is also an opportunity to be inspired by peers to think differently, reconnect with creative abilities, and revitalize professional commitment by seeing the field from an exciting new perspective. The expo will be offered virtually on an annual basis to ensure the ability of all frontline staff to attend, participate, and be inspired.