The TIP Brief: Beyond the Surface
August 2026 Newsletter

Workforce & Employer Engagement Summit Registration Open

Join us virtually September 22 to hear fresh perspectives, explore strategies and get access to resources that support your work. No hassle. Just meaningful conversations and ideas you can put to work. Be part of the dialogue that improves employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities.

Driving Employment Outcomes Through Innovation and Partnership: Four-Part Listening and Strategy Series

Talk with TIP

Session Two

August 12, 2026 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET 

Presenter: Christina Espinosa, MRC, CRC; UK Human Development Institute, Division Director, Community Education 

Session Two – Validating and Prioritizing Needs
Topic: Which challenges require the greatest attention, and what may still be missing from the conversation?
Participants will review and refine themes identified during Session 1, validate whether the findings reflect real-world practice, identify overlooked issues, and collaboratively prioritize areas of greatest urgency and impact.

Each session of this series uses the same registration link but participants must select the desired session date from the dropdown menu.

Services Available from Vocational Rehabilitation to Support Businesses and Employees

Learn at Lunch

August 18, 2026 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET 

Presenter: Ryan Henson

Learning Objective: Learn about the specific benefits and services provided to employers and employees through the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Employer Services Branch.  

Biography: Ryan Henson is a 22-year employee with the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and has served in a variety of roles including Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Branch Manager, Regional Program Manager, and Employer Service Branch Administrator. Throughout his career, he has been committed to advancing employment opportunities and improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities while strengthening partnerships with employers across the Commonwealth. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Kentucky's Master of Rehabilitation Counseling (MRC) program and brings extensive experience in vocational rehabilitation programming and workforce development.

Driving Employment Outcomes Through Innovation and Partnership: Four-Part Listening and Strategy Series

Talk with TIP

Session Three

August 19, 2026 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET 

Presenter: Christina Espinosa, MRC, CRC; UK Human Development Institute, Division Director, Community Education 

Session Three – Advancing Solutions and Innovation
Topic: What strategies, tools, partnerships, and training approaches could help address these challenges?
This collaborative brainstorming session will focus on practical and innovative solutions, including training and technical assistance needs, systems improvements, employer engagement strategies, emerging practices, and opportunities for peer learning and resource development.

Each session of this series uses the same registration link but participants must select the desired session date from the dropdown menu.

Training Innovation Project

Communities of Practice (COP)

August 25, 2026 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET 

Communities of Practice (COP) are groups of people who come together because they care about improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Members share ideas, solve problems, build skills, and create practical tools that support competitive integrated employment.

The COP is meant to grow naturally over time and will eventually be led by its members, giving participants the chance to shape discussions and activities around what matters most to them and their work.

Driving Employment Outcomes Through Innovation and Partnership: Four-Part Listening and Strategy Series

Talk with TIP

Session Four

August 26, 2026 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET 

Presenter: Christina Espinosa, MRC, CRC; UK Human Development Institute, Division Director, Community Education 

Session Four – TIP’s Role and Commitment Moving Forward
Topic: How can TIP meaningfully support the field moving forward?
The final session will focus on defining the role of Training Innovation Project in responding to identified needs through training, technical assistance, communities of practice, resource development, partnerships, and ongoing engagement with vocational rehabilitation professionals and stakeholders.

Each session of this series uses the same registration link but participants must select the desired session date from the dropdown menu.

2026 Autism Informed Employers Video Series

The Kentucky Employment First Council, Innovative Supports for Autistic Workers (ISAW), and the Training Innovation Project (TIP) share Episode 7 of the 2026 Autism Informed Employers quick-hit video series. This is a monthly 2-minute video series along with quarterly topical conversations. 

TIP National Advisory Panel member Alisher Burikhanov is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (KWIB), the state workforce board for the commonwealth. KWIB is a strategic body comprised of 51% business representatives with labor, government, education, and community-based organizations all working together to advance Kentucky’s workforce development. Having served for Team Kentucky for over 6 years, Alisher enjoys the collaboration between stakeholders given his prior experience working in a fast-paced recruitment firm, at a non-profit serving refugees and immigrants, and with a veteran-owned small business in Lancaster, Kentucky. Alisher is a proud graduate of the University of Kentucky with an MBA from Kentucky State University, where he teaches as an adjunct in the School of Business. Originally from a Central Asian country called Uzbekistan, Alisher has lived and worked in Kentucky’s rural and urban centers for the last two decades and currently calls Frankfort his home with his wife and three children.