One of the life lesson statements in Spencer Johnson’s book “Who Moved My Cheese” is “Change Happens. They keep moving the Cheese”. This is clearly evident in the vocational rehabilitation profession with the passage of AB 749, another legislative change that will have impact on how we conduct our business. Thus, we are faced with changes. We must find better and more efficient resources that can provide solutions to the problems encountered in the vocational rehabilitation service delivery system.

Ten years ago, we looked to books, manuals, resource documents, newspapers and the telephone to collect information about schools, training programs, employment data for labor market surveys, and job leads for our clients. I can’t forget the stacks of newspapers in the corner of the office, the bookshelves full of phone books, or the ensuing arguments to determine who was responsible for disposal of old newspapers and outdate phone books. Of course, we couldn’t just throw them in the dumpster. That was not ecologically sound. Plus, if they were recycled, we could expect upwards of four or five dollars every month or so…only if they were stacked, bound, boxed and packaged.

Today, the skilled rehabilitation counselor has all of that information and more at the touch of a finger. With a simple click of a mouse button, we can be literally connected to the world. Do you want to find out distance from your client’s home to school? An Internet program can tell you within one tenth of a mile. Do you want to know about a labor market in Atlanta Georgia? Just log on to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or the Athens Banner-Herald News and you can find current job openings. Do you want to provide job search training in a specific occupation for you client? The resource is there. We have taken the step into the future, the electronic world of the Internet.

Is there a next step into the future? Yes, there are more steps to take. We must find ways to harness and control our resources if our goal is to effectively produce results. The key to our success is in the resources that are available to us.

So, here you are. SchoolFair On The Net is one of those resources that you can bookmark for more than one purpose. Current and relevant information about vocational schools for our clients is one critical need for our profession. With SchoolFair On The Net, we will be able to locate schools by geographical location as well as specific training programs offered. In addition, this web site offers critical resource information about the workers’ compensation industry, disability resources, distance learning, career resources and calendars for current events. I’m excited about the potential of this resource and its benefit to us in the profession.

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Rod Stoneburner holds a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Arizona and has been working in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation for the past 25 years as a Rehabilitation Counselor, Vocational Evaluator and Career Counselor. For more information, visit his SchoolFair profile.