The primary purpose of the IRI is to develop publications for use in training and technical assistance for vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors, consumers, administrators, and other partners in the VR process. IRI publications provide a unique perspective on emerging issues in vocational rehabilitation as both the topics and the content are developed by practitioners.

History

For more than fifty-five years, the IRI has been a national forum for discussing the important challenges facing the State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Program. It is the longest running event of its kind in the rehabilitation field, and one of the longest in the human services profession.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) sponsors the IRI in collaboration with representatives from the State VR agencies, consumer groups, the Technical Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) Centers, and other stakeholders in the VR program, in order to develop a linkage between knowledge development and practitioner utilization.

IRI Topics

Topics are solicited each year from VR agency personnel and other stakeholders under the signature of the Commissioner of RSA and reviewed by the IRI National Planning Committee. The IRI monographs are widely used by VR counselors and supervisors, Human Resource Development (HRD) specialists, community-based rehabilitation service providers, administrators, researchers, and education and policy analysts.