CRP Fall 2026 Bulletin

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The Lighter Side of Business

What kind of key can't open a door?

A Tur-key.

However, our roles in supported employment can be the key that opens the theoretical doors to opportunity. Not just a door for your job seeker, but doors for employers as well.

Keep reading to get the in-cider news

This newsletter is filled with more than just fall-themed puns. It is filled with the news that will support you through the next season!

Asked and Answered

What is the difference between Traditional Supported Employment and Customized Supported Employment?

The Vendor Manual states that "Customized Employment (CE) is defined as competitive integrated employment for an individual with most significant disabilities that is based on strengths, needs, and interests of the individual with a disability, designed to meet the specific abilities of the individual, and the business needs of the employer, and carried out through flexible strategies."

Certification in Customized Supported Employment is required to receive Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) referrals to provide the service. The Supported Employment Training Project (SETP) has redesigned the training needed to earn this certification in Kentucky. It builds upon the foundations of Traditional Supported Employment and offers further training and practical application for professionals already working in the Supported Employment field. The course curriculum covers advanced, customized aspects of all supported employment processes, with the goal of developing a unique, individually negotiated (customized) position that meets the needs of both the job seeker and the employer.

This advanced training has been designed to help create employment opportunities for those individuals with the most significant impact of disability. The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute's (UK-HDI) SETP is proud to offer this course free of charge beginning in January 2027. The application will be available at a later date.

Tools for Building You

The "ber" months (October, November, December) bring a change in seasons and emotions. Podcasts are a great way to invest in you and your emotions this time of year, and the University of Kentucky has a series that can help with that! Becoming Wildly Resilient offers a wide range of topics that can make a morning commute full of new tools and practices to fill the "ber" months.

Meet The Team

Olivia Jennings has been an IPS State Trainer with the University of Kentucky Human Development since October 2024, where she supports the implementation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) program at expansion sites and in counties serving new populations. Prior to this role, she served as an IPS Employment Specialist, helping individuals to achieve their career goals. She found her passion for the field while earning her degrees in Spanish and Communications at Eastern Kentucky University, where she worked in the Career Center, conducting practice interviews, reviewing resumes, and organizing job fairs. Outside of work, she enjoys caring for plants, crafting, spending time with family, and traveling. What she loves the most about the Human Development Institute is the collaboration and uplifting of every individual. She wants to leave everyone with her favorite quote: “Las personas hermosas son raras; no se distinguen por la cara, sino por el alma”/ “Beautiful people are rare; they are not defined by their looks, but rather, their soul.”

Insider Interview Tips

Do you love to interview? Most people do not, and chances are, your job seeker is not a fan either. So, how do you help your job seeker prepare for an interview? The team at SETP shared their tips for you:

Katie- As Employment Specialists, it is our job to learn about companies of interest for job development. Given what we have learned, we can prepare people to talk about themselves and how they will benefit this company. If a company values customer service, help the job seeker be prepared to talk about times they have listened, followed up, and shown care for others. If a company values efficiency, help the job seeker prepare to talk about times when they have shown attention to detail and their willingness to learn new and better ways of doing things.

Zac- Help your job seeker to be relaxed. Provide pointers to help them show their professionalism.

Amanda- Show them the STAR framework as a way to format responses during the interview.

Accommodation Questions?

Just Ask JAN!

No, you didn't miss an announcement about a new hire named Jan, but you might be spending more time brainstorming accommodations than necessary. The Job Accommodation Network, or JAN for short, is a website that can help you, job seekers, and employers alike with suggestions and guidance on workplace accommodations.

Human Development Institute (HDI) Spotlight

The Training Innovation Project (TIP)

Chaussee is the co-founder and CEO of CareerView XR, a company that uses immersive technologies such as 3D models and virtual reality to promote workplace accessibility and help people explore the assistive technologies available to them. CareerView XR worked with a company, Vanna, to create solutions that helped a neurodivergent employee, Romin, succeed on the job. Chaussee was the first guest speaker in the TIP lunch-and-learn series.

You can listen to the Chaussee recording and other TIP webinars on a variety of topics to improve competitive integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities and support businesses in meeting their workforce needs on the TIP Train Website.

Congratulations

On August 1, 2026, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation bid a fond farewell to Ron O'Hair as he began his well-earned retirement. Throughout his career, Ron was a mainstay within the agency and a steady source of leadership, knowledge, and support in the various positions he held during his tenure. As Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) Branch Manager, he was a trusted resource to his staff, agency colleagues, and the external partners who worked alongside him. We are excited for Ron as he begins this next chapter, with plenty of time for golf and, most importantly, the much-anticipated opportunity to spend more time with family. We thank him for his many years of dedicated service and wish him all the best in retirement.

Effective October 1, 2026, Eric Barth will serve as the newly appointed CRP Branch Manager. Eric brings valuable experience to the position, having served first as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and later as a vocational rehabilitation administrator within the CRP Branch. His experience provides a strong foundation for this new leadership role. As he transitions into the position, we look forward to building upon the strong foundation already established while identifying new opportunities to strengthen collaboration, modernize processes, further integrate services, and work alongside our Community Rehabilitation Providers to support quality outcomes for the individuals we serve.

How Will You Celebrate?

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This is an annual recognition of the positive impact of people with disabilities in the American workforce.

This year’s NDEAM theme will be "Celebrating Value and Talent," carrying the spirit of last year's celebration forward through 2026 in honor of America's 250th birthday.

If you are looking for ideas on how to celebrate, NDEAM has many great ideas for employers, educators, organizations, and more! The poster contest idea seems like fun! What idea will you try? Send a picture to SETraining and you might be featured in the next quarterly newsletter.

November is National Gratitude Month

With Thanksgiving in November, it is no surprise that November is National Gratitude Month. There are several benefits to practicing gratitude, including reducing stress and improving sleep, but starting a practice takes intention and effort. LinkedIn has published 10 practical ways to practice gratitude that will change your life.

The team at SETP has a word cloud in progress. If you would like, you may add something that you are grateful for on the word cloud, and we will publish the completed cloud in the next newsletter. We are grateful for all of the Employment Specialists and are excited to share what we create together with you!