RSA disability innovation fund proposal topic area 6: accelerated VR training and capacity building program

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) awarded a $8,170,233 Disability Innovation Fund (CFDA 84.421) Project Grant to the University of Wisconsin System (UW System) on October 1, 2024. The 5-year grant supports an "Accelerated VR Training and Capacity Building Program" focused on improving employment, education, and transition outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

The UW System, through its University of Wisconsin-Stout campus, will lead the demonstration project. Key activities include developing evidence-based practices, providing integrated services, facilitating community integration, and creating replicable approaches to support meaningful employment and career advancement for individuals with disabilities. The project will involve sub-awards to the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) to provide training and dissemination activities, and to Employment Resources Inc. and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UW-Madison to support website development, training, and evaluation.