Texas Rehabilitation Association
17424 W. Grand Parkway, Suite 422.
Sugar Land, TX, 77479
T: 713.818.1852 •F: 281.343.0357
E-MAIL

Join the Texas Rehabilitation Association at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Resort in Galveston, Texas from July 8-10, 2007 for our Annual Conference “Changing Tides in Rehabilitation”. We have a very exciting program lined up for participants, with 10.5 credit hours applied for (CRC, CVE, LPC, SW). The conference begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday evening with greetings from our President, Mary Zersen, followed by a General Session of Round Table Discussions ably led as always by Carol Bennett, M.S. CRC, LPC, including the topics: Worker’s Compensation; Head Injury Rehabilitation; Social Security; Job Placement Issues; Blind Services; and TRA Membership Issues. Each topic will be led by experts in that field and participants will be able to spend 30 minutes at each of two topic tables of their choice to get the latest information in that subject area with a wrap up at the end. The Round Table will be followed by a President’s Reception with cash bar in the Viewfinders Terrace, a beautiful room overlooking the Moody Gardens entertainment complex.

Monday, July 9th begins with a General Session entitled: The Challenges Ahead (The Future of Rehabilitation and Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling). The session will be led by Keynote Speaker, Ray Feroz, PhD., CRC, NCC, LPC, incoming President of NRA. The General Session will be followed by two breakout sessions: Return to Work with Danny Taylor, CRC and Laurie Rook, M.S., CRC; and Rehabilitation Technology for the Workplace by Roger Levy, MA, RESNA-APT. Both sessions should give very practical and useful information for assisting counselors in returning their clients to work. The Awards Luncheon will follow from 11:30 to 1:30 giving TRA an opportunity to present awards to persons who have made a difference in the field of rehabilitation in the past year. The luncheon will also highlight the contributions of John K. Halloran, a long time Rehabilitation professional, who passed away in 2006, to whom our 2007 conference is dedicated. The afternoon will include two breakout sessions: An Update on Texas and National Legislation affecting Rehabilitation Issues and Persons with Disabilities, led by Jonas Schwartz, M.S., Stakeholder Relations Liaison, DARS, and Cheryl Bates Harris, B.A., Senior Disability Advocacy Specialist, National Association for Protection and Advocacy Systems, Washington D.C.; and Update on the Labor Market, Employment Trends and Our Aging Workforce with Richard Froeschle, M.S., Deputy Director of the Labor Market & Career Information Department for Texas Workforce Commission. The afternoon will conclude with the TRA Annual Membership Meeting led by President Mary Zersen from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 10th will begin with a General Session: DARS-What’s Ahead, led by Keynote Speakers Terrell Murphy, BBA, Commissioner of the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and Terry Smith, M.S., CRC, Assistant Commissioner of the DARS Division of Rehabilitation Services. The conference will conclude with a three hour General Session called Ethics: a Musical Comedy in Two Acts with Tim Anderson, M.S. LPC, Gordon Leeman, M.S., CRC, and Meredith Jeppson, musical accompanist. For those who attended the 2006 TRA Conference, this session was presented as a shorter breakout session last year. This year we will get the full blown version of the play, which uses satire, humor and music to highlight how critical ethical conduct is in a professional’s life. Your conference planners felt that this would end our conference on a very upbeat note, and that it would leave us wanting to be the very best rehabilitation professionals we can be. The entire program is designed to motivate participants to continue learning and growing in skills and knowledge in order to provide the best possible services to the rehabilitation clients we serve.

In addition to all this training, Moody Gardens has extended a very special offer to conference participants: we can purchase for $35.00 per person, a pass for unlimited admission to all the attractions of Moody Gardens for Sunday through Tuesday. This includes: the Rainforest Pyramid; the Discovery Pyramid; the Aquarium Pyramid; the IMAX 3D Theater; the Ridefilm Theater; Palm Beach freshwater lagoons, beaches, volleyball courts and yellow submarine for the kids; and the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat. Each of these attractions have individual prices ranging from $10.95 to $19.95 for a single admission, so our package price of $35.00 for unlimited admissions is a great bargain. We have planned this conference with families in mind and hope that you will consider bringing your family for a summer vacation in addition to the professional training that you can get while your family enjoys the attractions of Moody Gardens. Don’t delay. Make your reservations by calling Moody Gardens at 888-388-8484 and requesting the group rate for TRA or Texas Rehabilitation Association, which is also a bargain: $149 for single/double/triple or quad rooms! Then, register for the conference! A conference brochure, with registration form, has been mailed and e-mailed. If you do not receive the brochure, you may contact Linda Cox at boblindaworld@msn.com or Marilyn Padgett at mpadgett001@houston.rr.com. Your family will love the vacation, and you will benefit from learning and networking with other rehabilitation professionals.