Matt Bruinekool is President of the Iowa chapter of the National Rehabilitation Association. The Iowa Rehabilitation Association is hosting its annual conference in Des Moines the week of October 18. Matt has developed an agenda that includes local and national leaders in rehabilitation. Among the speakers are Lynnae Ruttledge, Administrator of the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration and Dan Keplinger, star of the movie King Gimp. Matt will be speaking on his research regarding performance management within state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies.
As President of IRA, Matt has worked to increase student membership among Drake students and create networking opportunities so they can meet the people who are their potential employers. He is introducing a speed networking opportunity for students during the IRA conference so they can meet as many potential employers as possible and have the chance to continue information relationships after the conference.
Robert Stensrud will be speaking at the national Rehabilitation Services Administration/Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation/National Council on Rehabilitation Education conference in Washington, DC. He will discuss his research on how public One-Stop Employment Centers can provide services to people with disabilities who receive Social Security Disability Insurance.
His research has helped the state of Iowa pursue several federal grants that improve employment services for people with disabilities. The research has been adopted by other states and has been referenced by numerous researchers and practitioners nationally.