RC Template Image
Projects
University Rehabilitation Association
The University Rehabilitation Association is one of the oldest chapters of its type in the nation: the URA began in the late 1950s, shortly after the Master’s Degree program was started at the University of Florida.
URA membership is open to students in the Rehabilitative Services and Rehabilitation Counseling programs. It is a duly registered club within the University of Florida system of clubs and organizations.
The URA encourages preprofessional rehabilitation students to become active in professional organizations--especially the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA), the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), and the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP).
For students who actively participate in URA, the Health Professions College Council may sponsor attendance at state, regional, and national meetings of these professional organizations.
The mission of the URA is to provide extracurricular activities with a rehabilitation focus. Some of the group's current and past projects include:
- Participating in University-wide efforts such as Disability Awareness Week and Diversity Awareness Week
- Involving the University community in Sign Language Workshops and Self-Defense Training
- Providing meals to residents of Hope Lodge, the temporary home for cancer patients and their families and to residents of St. Francis House, Gainesville's shelter for homeless individuals and families
- Participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica campaign
- Riding in the annual HorseFarm 100 bicycling competition
- Collecting canned goods and clothing contributions for organizations
Vocational Consultation Service
The VCS was developed in the 1970s to provide Rehabilitation Counseling Master's students with clinical experience beyond the internship level. The first target population of the VCS was limited to patients from the Medical Center at the University of Florida. The service expanded in the 1980s to include participation in the Health Center's multidisciplinary Spinal Treatment and Rehabilitation program and in contracts with the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Currently the VCS provides return-to-work evaluation services for individuals with work-related injuries who have been referred from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, private insurance companies, and attorneys.
VCS services address both work exploration and return-to-work issues:
| Work Exploration | Return-to-Work |
| Vocational Evaluation | Job Analysis |
| Situational Assessments | Work Adjustment Training |
| Career Exploration | Job Modifications |
| Labor Market Analysis | Job Development |
| Job Placement | |
| Accessibility Studies | |
| Work Accommodations | |
| Employer Consultations |