Employment Resources, Inc. (ERI)

08/28/2026

📊 Building Stronger VR Provider Teams

What helps vocational rehabilitation provider teams build skills, retain staff, and better serve people with disabilities?

A national survey of 1,465 VR service providers sheds light on current workforce challenges and where training can make a difference.

Among the findings:
➡️ 61% of providers report they aren’t fully staffed
➡️ 75% would use a centralized national training hub
➡️ Strong communication between providers, VR counselors, and customers was identified as a key capacity builder

The takeaway? Investing in effective onboarding, practical training, career pathways, and collaboration can help strengthen the VR workforce and improve services.

Read more from our partners at StaffUp ASAP Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (SVRI): https://ow.ly/eR3h50ZyCCM

A national survey of VR service providers highlights the urgent need for structured onboarding, disability-specific training, streamlined administrative processes, and credential-based career pathways to strengthen provider teams, improve retention, and ensure better outcomes for job seekers with di...

08/26/2026

A job placement is only the beginning. What helps people with disabilities stay employed and build lasting careers?

In a recent blog post, our partners at Iparrt Prime: Promoting Retention in Meaningful Employment share research-backed strategies for strengthening job retention in vocational rehabilitation. The findings highlight five employer practices that can make a meaningful difference:

✅ Mentoring and early support
✅ Professional development
✅ Career advancement opportunities
✅ An open culture for feedback
✅ A clear connection between each job and the organization’s mission

Learn how VR professionals can identify supportive employers, help managers understand what drives retention, and prepare job seekers for long-term success.

Read “Beyond the Hire: Research-Backed Strategies for Job Retention in VR” here: https://ow.ly/yk5F50ZETpm

Explore proven employer practices and VR strategies that help people with disabilities keep their jobs and thrive in meaningful careers.

08/24/2026

We’re proud to support the Community Connection: A Path to Community Leadership webinar series!

This free, three-part series will help participants build leadership skills, become more involved in their communities, and use their lived experiences to create change.

📅 September 15: Person-Centered Planning for Community Connection
📅 September 22: Making a Difference: Serving on Community Boards and Councils
📅 September 29: Using Your Lived Experience to Create Change

All webinars will be held online from 12:00–1:00 p.m. CT. Join Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and Wisconsin Managed Care Organization partners to learn practical steps and hear directly from people making a difference in their communities.

Learn more and register through the event link! ⬇️
https://ow.ly/sHfs50ZETeW

08/20/2026

🎓 High school is about more than earning credits. It’s a chance to learn who you are, explore what interests you, and start building the future you want.

For teens with disabilities, every year of high school brings new opportunities to:

📚 Learn about your strengths, skills, and interests
🔎 Explore careers, classes, activities, volunteering, and work experiences
🚀 Take Action with steps you can start now to prepare for adult life

Not sure where to begin? Our latest Teen Tips blog shares ideas for making the most of high school and connects youth and families with age-by-age resources from Before Age 18.
👉 Read Learn, Explore, Take Action! How to Use High School to Jumpstart Your Future: https://ow.ly/ISKp50ZB4Ii

08/18/2026

In recognition of National Nonprofit Day, we're celebrating the work ERI does every day to advance employment opportunities, support personal choice, and enhance the well-being of people with disabilities.

We're also proud to have earned a Candid Gold Seal of Transparency, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and accountability as a nonprofit organization.

Our work is made possible by the people we serve, our dedicated staff and board members, partners, funders, community organizations, and supporters who share our commitment to creating greater opportunities for people with disabilities.

Want to support ERI's work? Learn more about our mission or make a gift: https://ow.ly/zYi650ZB2ls

08/17/2026

🤖 Exploring AI in Vocational Rehabilitation

What role could AI play in helping people with disabilities not only find employment but build and maintain meaningful careers?

Our partners at Iparrt Prime: Promoting Retention in Meaningful Employment are exploring how AI could complement the expertise of vocational rehabilitation professionals by helping support consistent follow-up, identify challenges earlier, personalize guidance, and provide better insight into long-term employment outcomes.

AI isn’t about replacing the important relationships VR professionals build. It’s about exploring new tools that could strengthen and extend that support.

Read more about the possibilities for AI in vocational rehabilitation: https://ow.ly/rSz150ZyCvp

Learn how AI in vocational rehabilitation can strengthen counseling, keep jobs lasting, and open career paths for people with disabilities.

08/14/2026

Short Course on Youth Engagement

Looking for practical ways to strengthen youth voice, choice, and leadership in your work?

Our partners at the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: the Collaborative are offering a 4-week online, asynchronous short course focused on creating meaningful opportunities for youth with disabilities to feel heard, valued, connected, and empowered to lead.

📅 Register by: August 28, 2026
💻 Course: September 14–October 9, 2026
🎓 Certificate: 20 hours of training

Designed for secondary educators, VR professionals, transition partners, and others who support youth with disabilities.

Learn more and register: https://ow.ly/1rjH50ZyCoG

08/13/2026

What does good employment and benefits support actually look like?

It means listening first. Explaining complicated information clearly. Finding a different approach when something isn’t working. And bringing the right people together to help someone move toward their goals.

In our latest blog, ERI staff share real examples of what person-centered support can look like and why it matters.

Read “What Good Employment Support Looks Like for People with Disabilities” ➡️
https://ow.ly/xH1150ZyxFB

08/12/2026

⏰ There's still time to make your voice heard!

Our partners at Survival Coalition are still seeking responses to their statewide survey of Wisconsin parents and caregivers of students with disabilities.

If you haven't completed the survey yet, now is the time. Your experiences can help shape conversations about special education, transition services, staffing, and funding across Wisconsin.

Every response helps build a more complete picture of what's working—and where improvements are needed.

📝 Complete the survey today:
https://ow.ly/p0kA50ZnxzF

Please help spread the word by sharing this post with other Wisconsin families. The more voices represented, the stronger the impact of the survey findings.

08/11/2026

Join us Tuesday, August 18, for a one-hour virtual training focused on important Wisconsin FoodShare policies, reporting requirements, and common situations encountered by professionals.

Alex Premo, Economic Support Supervisor with Dane County Department of Human Services, will cover:
• How household food units are determined
• Recent updates to FoodShare income reporting requirements
• Common FoodShare questions and situations
• Live Q&A and discussion

📅 Tuesday, August 18, 2026
⏰ 1:00–2:00 p.m. CT
💻 Virtual via Zoom

Reserve your spot and join us for this practical FoodShare update!

🔗Register: https://ow.ly/s0wR50Zyeeq