#RTC:Rural eNews

February 2025

Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Self-Employment Toolkit

RTC:Rural is partnering with the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC) to share the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Self-Employment Toolkit (TVR SET). This work is a result of a long-term partnership between RTC:Rural and the Consortium of Administrators of Native American Rehabilitation (CANAR). CANAR saw a need for culturally appropriate self-employment resources for American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Service (AIVRS) counselors and consumers and teamed up with us to develop them (see Building the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Self-Employment Toolkit).

Now, we are focusing on strategies to build self-employment capacity using TVR SET materials. This effort has been guided by a group of advisors representing seven regionally diverse AIVRS programs. Identified outreach strategies include regional two-day in-person trainings, a self-employment course for delivery through the Northwest Indian College, and mini-trainings in conjunction with bi-annual CANAR conferences.

Last July, we had our first in-person TVR SET training in Tulsa, OK. Participants reported much higher knowledge and confidence to support self-employment cases at their AIVRS programs. Six-month follow-up focus group discussions highlighted how TVR SET materials have been used.

Focus groups gave feedback about their desires for additional support, like having peer-to-peer follow-up meetings to discuss questions and refresh on the materials. We hope to implement peer Zoom calls after our next regional training in Albuquerque, NM this March.

To learn more about our upcoming TVR SET regional trainings or Northwest Indian College course for CEU credits, contact Catherine Ipsen, RTC:Rural or Rebecca Holland, AIVRTTAC. 

Training participant feedback:

“I have a gentleman that I'm helping right now, and I think the toolkit is amazing... About an hour before he gets to my office, I pull everything out, and I'm like, okay, this is this. And he is really enjoying them, and it's making him think good and long and hard about what is ahead of him in this endeavor. He's trying to open a moving business. So, he has really enjoyed it. He has really enjoyed the worksheets... And then he's also working in collaboration with our... Small Business Development Center. And the people over there are like, this is great.”

“Our Colorado DVR counselor, who usually works with the self-employment, goal-oriented people, individuals who we collaboratively serve. She gave a presentation on what she does at Colorado DVR to help somebody, but in the process, I had sent her the link to the tool kit… She said it was perfect… What she really appreciated was that it gave a very realistic view of one how challenging it is to start a business of your own, and how detail oriented it has to be.”

“I do have a client, and he originally came with a one-page business plan. We're like, no, so we get him the resource. And he went home, and he came back with, like, I think maybe 15-16, pages, wow. Yeah, it did take him some time to come back. But, I mean, he did. He went through everything - the worksheets - and committed.”