Find Your TACE

Communities of Excellence (COE)

In response to reviews of state plans for vocational rehabilitation (VR) and comprehensive statewide needs assessments, the TACE Center: Region IV will offer customized training and technical assistance that, over a two-year period, will lead to the development of “Communities of Excellence (COE) ” in each of the eight States in the Southeast Region IV. Each state will be asked to identify a geographic area to become a Community of Excellence that demonstrates improved collaboration between public systems and employers.  The TACE IV Innovations Team will lead these collaborative efforts in working with Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind personnel.

Goals & Design

The overall goal of developing a Community of Excellence (COE) is to provide each state an opportunity to develop a model that builds on the excellence of the current services, to target certain areas for improvement, and to enhance services with the inclusion of customized employment.

Each Community of Excellence will be designed to:

1. Increase understanding and replication of effective employment and rehabilitation practices that result in improved employment outcomes;
2. Build local capacity to improve and expand customized employment services and supports;
3. Serve as a catalyst to systems change and improvement at the state and local levels;
4. Develop, document, and disseminate new and improved theory, policy, practice and knowledge to revolutionize the state of the science in rehabilitation and employment service delivery in the Southeast and nationwide.

For questions and more information on Communities of Excellence, contact Jill Houghton via email: jbhought@law.syr.edu.

Customized Employment Focus

Communities of Excellence (COE) will focus on implementation of customized employment. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, “Customized employment means individualizing the employment relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both. It is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the person with a disability, and is also designed to meet the specific needs of the employer.”

Related Publications & Presentations

• Communities of Excellence FAQ - Text. Communities of Excellence FAQ - PDF
• Audio Conference: Developing Communities of Excellence