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Dialog
with Doris
Doris Illies
MRA President
Greetings! As I am writing this and looking out my window, it sure
does not look like the middle of January. Is this really winter
in Minnesota or have I taken a long nap at this desk? Seriously,
now is not the time to be napping at one’s desk, I know that
members of the board have not had time for snoozing. At the December
meeting, the board broke into groups to set goals for 2003.
The
Governmental Affairs Committee chaired by Robert Reedy identified
the following goals:
- Day
at the Capital – February 27th
2003.
- Increase
committee membership and participation – Committee
meetings are the second Tuesday of the month from 11:00
to 12:30 p.m., with minutes of the meetings, a list and a map
to the meeting
site posted on the list serve.
- Build
partnerships with other groups – MRA is partnering
with MACRO and MAPSE for the Day at the Capital
- Conference
breakout session with BIA
- Publish
more information and disseminate to members on a timely basis
- Recognize
politicians for their service to persons with barriers to
employment
The
Training Committee chaired by Greg Lambert identified
the following goals:
- Publishing
a one day conference rate - the conference committee has
chosen not
to offer this rate for
this conference.
- Providing
a District D training
- Designing
hard core content at the conferences – The
2003 Spring Conference has
been planned with specific
training tracks – This
being the conference addition
of the Spotlight, look for
the enclosed registration
information.
The
Membership Committee is chaired by Mark Mertens
and
has identified
the following as
goals for
2003:
- Establish
and implement a mentor/buddy system
for new MRA members
- Increased
follow-up with non-member conference
attendees
- Incentives
for recruiting
members and
new members
- Purchasing
a display
board and
marketing
MRA at partnering
conferences
and training
opportunities
- Sending
out new
member and
welcome
packets
- Membership
meeting
at the
conference
The
MRA board and committee members are well on their
way to making these
goals realities.
I would
like
to personally thank
each and
every one for all
of their commitment! I would also
like to take this
opportunity to extend
an invitation
to MRA
members
who are
interested in getting
more involved in YOUR association
to join one or
more of our committees.
Truly
the greatest strength
of
MRA is its members!
Those
of you who know me, know that
I could go on
forever. But will end
this edition
of Dialog
with
Doris by strongly
encouraging
each of you to
attend the
MRA/Great
Plains Regional
Conference, April
9 through 11
in Morton. The
conference is
a great
opportunity to
expand your knowledge,
see old friends
and make new
ones. If you have things
you would
like to bring
up to the board,
please feel free
to contact me.
My e-mail
address
is dillies@rise.org
or I can be reached
in my office
at 320-656-5608.
And
as my 90 year-old grandmother
says:
Sing, Dance
and Laugh!
MRA
Governmental Affairs
Robert Reedy, MRA Governmental Affairs Officer
This
year, the sessions at both the state and national level promise
to be challenging at best. With the state facing a projected $4.56
Billion deficit for the next fiscal year and over $450 million
from the current year, the message is clear -- the cuts are coming!
MRA’s
Governmental Affairs Committee began our work in January and
we have our work cut out for us. We are busy planning
MRA’s
local and national legislative agenda. Here in Minnesota we are
watching budget issues closely. In the past several years, Minnesota’s
VR programs in the Department of Economic Security have already
faced a budget crisis. Year after year of compounded cuts have
left the VR programs forced to tighten their belts to the level
it hurts. Now, with the state’s budget crisis, we could
be forced to make even further cuts. Cuts into a program already
so
lean, any further cuts will have the potential to dramatically
impact those we serve.
MRA
is particularly concerned with the Extended Employment Budget.
This program funds those we serve
with the most severe disabilities.
Specifically, it provides long term follow-up services. Given
the current labor market, we feel money spent on helping people
keep
jobs is well spent. The cost of a person going back to work
in this tight employment market can be significant. This does
not
include the cost for the person going back on other public
supports. Most importantly, this does not include the personal
costs to
those who lose their jobs!
Additionally,
MRA’s Governmental
Affairs Committee will be watching the proposed restructuring
of DTED and DES. Significant
effort was made last year to gather information on how this
should be done. I have heard on several occasions, we will
have the opportunity
to advocate how the agencies with be restructured. In fact,
if DTED and DES are the only agencies that are restructured
as an
attempt to save money, it would be quite a surprise. I have
heard that as many as five agencies could face restructuring
this year.
In
addition to our work at the state level, MRA is busy planning
our annual Trip to Washington DC to meet with
our congressional
delegation and their staff. On the national agenda, this
year looms another budget deficit and the reauthorization
of the
Title IV
of the Workforce Investment Act (formally the Rehabilitation
Act), and IDEA. These issues all have the potential to
impact us here
in Minnesota.
What
can you do to help? Consider joining MRA Governmental Affairs
Committee. We meet every month on the
second Tuesday
at 11:00
AM. If you are interested in joining the committee, please
contact me for more information.
You
can stay educated about the issues. One way to do this is to
sign up for MRA’s
GA List Serve. To do this, go to our web page at www.mnrehab.org.
Enter the page and follow the link to
the “Divisions” then the link to “Government
Affairs”. At the bottom of the page, you can
sign up to join the MRA GA List Serve.
What
else can you do? You can contact your state and
national legislators and tell them who you are and
where you stand
on the issues. If
you need more information about a particular issue,
please contact us. We will be happy to assist you
in finding
more information.
Finally,
consider the words of Margaret Meade, “Never underestimate
the power of a small group of dedicated people
to change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
For
more information about MRA legislative efforts, please contact
me.
Robert Reedy
Opportunity Partners. Inc
55 E 5th Street, Suite 101
St. Paul MN 55101
651-282-9848 - Office
612-875-3456 - Cell
651-297-5447 - TTY
rreedy@opportunities.org
Spring
Conference Preview
Greg Lambert
Conference Committee
The upcoming spring conference has gotten a little bigger than
originally planned....It's not just going to be an ordinary MRA
conference, as MRA will be hosting the NRA Great Plains Regional
conference.
Sure
there are people coming from other states in the region, but
we are making the conference agenda bigger as well!
The spring
conference will have fewer general sessions, but there are several
more concurrent sessions. In fact, there will be four concurrent
sessions to choose from during each of the program sessions.
Check out the session information in the conference brochure
and you
will notice the difference.
The
entire conference has events that you won't want to miss....From
Wednesday's keynote to Friday's
lunch keynote.
Mark
the dates on your calendar, read about the conference inside
this issue, send in your registration
forms and get
ready for
a spectacular conference!
“Learning
from the Past: Challenges for the Future”
MRA/Great Plains Regional Training Conference
Wednesday, April 9 through Friday, April 11, 2003
Jackpot Junction Convention Center, Morton MN
rCAM
ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIPS FOR REHABILITATION COUNSELING
rCAM
(Rehabilitation Counselor Association of Minnesota), a Division
of the Minnesota
Rehabilitation Association, is again excited to
announce the availability of two scholarships targeted for a student
pursuing a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling!
One scholarship will be funded through rCAM and the second will
be funded through MRA.
A
scholarship in the amount of $500 will be awarded to two students
who are ranked the highest as measured
by the following criteria:
- A
resident of Minnesota
- Enrolled
in a Minnesota graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling
as of September 15, 2003
- Maintaining
a 3.0 GPA
- Intends
to practice Rehabilitation Counseling in Minnesota upon graduation
Interested
applicants are asked to do the following:
1.
Submit a brief (1-2 page) written request that:
a) confirms the above criteria,
b) describes how and why a scholarship would reduce the
financial burden in completing your studies,
c) your interest in Rehabilitation Counseling as
a career,
d) include full address and phone number with submission.
2.
Submit at least one letter of reference from a faculty member
with your
application. Only submissions
that
meet the stated
criteria will be considered.
rCAM
would like the recipient to attend the Awards Banquet during
the October
MRA Conference with MRA contributing up to an
additional $75
to offset actual costs of attending,
if he or she is able to attend.
For
more information or to apply for the scholarship, contact:
Jodi Lindsay Prange, M.S., C.R.C.
Rehabilitation Services
1 Mendota Rd Suite 170
W St Paul MN 55118
Phone: (651) 554-6560
rCAM
is designated to award this scholarship based on a review of
all applicants. The final deadline for submitting
applications
must
be
received or post
marked before or on March 18, 2003. The scholarship award
will be announced at the
MRA Spring Conference which will be held in Morton, MN
April 9-11, 2003. Award recipients
will be notified prior to the conference as soon as the
selection has been made.
News
from the JPD Training Committee
Becky Uran Markman,
2003 Chair of the JPD Training Committee
The
Job Placement and Development division of MRA continues to organize
training
that responds to the needs identified by past
training attendees. Last year, we sponsored three training events:
Ethics in Vocational Rehabilitation; Job Placement and Retention
in Today’s Labor Market; and Vocational Implications and
Accommodations for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities. Overall
ratings for the trainings ranged from 4.28 to 4.5 on a scale of
1-5, with 1 indicating poor and 5 indicating excellent.
The
topic of job placement strategies still tops the list of training
topics
requested by our training participants. Other popular topics
include psychosocial and cultural impact of disability, attitudinal
barriers for individuals with disabilities, follow up and post-employment
services, and finally job and employer development.
Watch
for JPD training in the year ahead. The May 2003 training will
focus
on psychosocial and cultural impact of disability.
We thank you for your past involvement and look forward to
serving the vocational rehabilitation community in 2003. |