Presented at EDEN, Dublin, Ireland (June 2011). Authors: Dr Alan Bruce, Dr David Perry, Dr Michelle Marmé, Dr Chrisann Schiro-Geist, Dr Regina Robertson

1. Ireland
Alan Bruce, Universal Learning Systems
United States
David Perry, University of North Dakota
Michelle Marmé, Northeastern Illinois
University
Chrisann Schiro Geist, University of Memphis
Regina Robertson, East Central Oklahoma
University
SUSTAINABLE ACCREDITATION AND
AND LEARNING IN INTERNATIONAL
REHABILITATION PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

2. Overview
 Sustainable
 Accreditation
 Learning (beyond WHAT is taught…
what knowledge & skills are
acquired)
 International Rehabilitation
 Professional
 Globalization

3. Contexts of Inclusive
Practice
 Change dynamic
 Impact of crisis
 Imperatives of continuing professional
development
 Standards and quality
 Ethical practice

4. Innovative Learning
Beyond
Barriers
to
Shared
Excellen
ce
Using the From
American Experienc Compe-
Perspect tence to
-ives e of Creativit
Disability y
European
Challeng
es

5. Thinking
Globall
y
Anticipatin
g Future
Demogra-
phics
ICT &
Supporte
d
Systems
Policy
and
Trans-
Linkage and
formatio
n
Recognition

6. People with
Disabilities
 Globally, there are almost 1 billion people with
disabilities (PWD)
 Estimates of PWD by continent: Europe – 98 million, Africa
– 137 million, Asia – 553 million, North America – 67
million, South America – 57 million
 U.N. estimates 13.3 % of world population has some form of
disability
 While “disability” is defined differently in different
countries, the U.N. offers these definitions:
Impairment: “any loss or abnormality of
psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or
function”
Disability: a “restriction or lack (resulting from an
impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner
or within the range considered normal for a human being”

7.  Social Dynamics of Marginalized
Populations
 Interpersonal Communication &
Advocacy Skills
 Medical Services
 Physical Restoration
 Psychological Supports
 Independent Living
 Housing & Transportation
 Community Living Skills
 Avocational Pursuits
 Spiritual Development
 Vocational & Job/Career Development
 Legal Rights and Recourse
Supporting
Independence

8. Interventions and
Training
 A variety of services are offered to help PWD
become more independent, such as: medical
services, physical restoration, psychological
supports, job placement, housing services,
transportation assistance, communication aides,
and assistive technology.
 Rehabilitation Service providers receive various
kinds of training, ranging from on-the-job training
to college degrees.
 Higher education programs often seek
accreditation to demonstrate the quality and
sustainability of their degrees.

9. Council on Rehabilitation
Education (CORE)
 Has offered accreditation of master’s
programs in Rehabilitation Counseling since
1972
 Accredits approximately 100 programs in the
United States
 Is recognized by the Council on Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA), an organization
that certifies a variety of international
accrediting bodies (e.g., engineering and
business)

10. Commission on Undergraduate
Standards and Accreditation
(CUSA)
 This commission is part or CORE and is
responsible for sanctioning quality
undergraduate rehabilitation education
programs
 The goal is to promote the effective delivery
of services to individuals
 Services improve when professionals receive
better training
 Accreditation standards promote continuing
review and improvement of high quality
training programs

11.  Maximizing participation of
 people with disabilities
 in mainstream of life
Creativity
 Commitment
 Collaboration

12. International
Rehabilitation Education
 Building on firm foundation from
CORE and CUSA, our goal is to provide
an opportunity for other countries to
have their training programs recognized
 Advantages include programmatic review
with respect to established standards of
quality, economic viability, sustainability,
portability of credentials,
course transferability, and
unified ethical codes

13.  Profession defines fundamental standards of practice and
essential knowledge
 Students’ best interests & educational goals protected
 Strengths of Existing Models
 Protocols to follow, refine, & modify for new contexts
 Structured process of self-reflection for programs
 Asynchronous sharing of information
 Data gathering from constituents
 “Outside” review & validation from profession
 Educational institutions & programs are acknowledged for
developing/providing “best practice”
Accreditation

14.  Voluntarily organized, by educators, to develop and implement common
policies and standards, to evaluate educational quality
 Non-governmental, entirely voluntary, peer review, ensuring educational
programs meet educational and professional standards of quality
 Consider faculty academic preparation, demonstrated excellence,
programmatic recruitment practices and admissions procedures, course
content
 Outcome measures with respect to knowledge and skill attainment, from
the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders: supervisors, employers,
graduates
Accreditation
as a Growth Process
14

15. People with
Technology Disabilities
Accredita-
Pedagogy
tion
Standards
Process of Continual
Refinement

16.  Establishing and supporting “best practice”
 Reimagine “accreditation” as
 Growth-oriented
 Supportive
 Enhancing outcomes
 Building upon established structures to address evolving
needs of our students and practice
 Recontextualizing process in light of varying contexts and
technologies
Re-evaluating
Accreditation Process

17.  Consensus: some face-to-face components must be retained
 To ensure voracity of reports
 To address physical access in rehabilitation context
 In the absence* of technological alternatives
 Distance models for executing program evaluation & training of
evaluators
 Virtual training of site visitors
 More evaluators involved, enhancing the # observers involved
 Decreased costs for accreditation review process, increased cadre of
reviewers
 Multiple perspectives enhances sophistication of process
New Models
of Program Assessment

18.  World becomes flatter
 Boundaries blur
 Distinctions become less divisive
 Definitional considerations
 Universality of socially-endorsed and
 culturally-dependent phrasing & practices
Challenges

20.  Optimum training experiences for individuals
 interested in the full inclusion of people with
disabilities and differences, will be
 met through this refinement of sustainable
training and
 evaluation methodologies.

21. Resources
 Council on Rehabilitation Education www.core-rehab.org
 National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials
https://ncrtm.org/moodle/
 National Council on Rehabilitation Education
www.rehabeducators.org/resources.html