The National Rehabilitation Association of Job Placement and Development.

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief description of the history of the National Rehabilitation Association of Job Placement and Development. We will identify its founding members and their contributions, as well as trace its accomplishments up to the present.

The National Rehabilitation Association of Job Placement and Development is the official name for what has been, is, and probably always will be known as "JPD". As I believe JPD is still the working name of the organization, I will continue to use that term to refer to NRAJPD throughout this article.

Just as vocation is the base word in vocational rehabilitation, job placement is the clear definitive objective of the entire vocational rehabilitation process. It is essential that if all services of rehabilitation are provided (education, counseling, restoration, quality tools and equipment), that there should be a job for the person with a disability at the end of that process. Therefore, JPD has, for the last thirty years encouraged, promoted, and built on the body oft-knowledge of the best practices of job placement for people with disabilities. A professional journal and newsletter, national, regional and local training sessions, and advocacy have all served as proof of JPD's value within the national organization.

JPD's goals are simple and straightforward: to promote the improvement of placement opportunities for persons with disabilities, and to cooperate with other organizations and professions to achieve the maximum potential of employees with disabilities.

Early History

JPD was conceived by a group of rehabilitation professionals who saw a need for a division, within NRA, that would address the issues and problems they encountered finding jobs for persons with disabilities. These rehabilitation professionals frequently were senior rehabilitation practitioners and administrators who were already leaders within NRA.

On October 9, 1963 Robert Eddy, Manager of Handicapped Placement Service of Goodwill Industries of Chicago, called together a group of rehabilitation professionals. These professionals represented a wide variety of employers, including state employment agencies, public and private vocational rehabilitation agencies, and President's and Governor's Committees on Employment of the Handicapped.

The ad hoc committee that formed to petition NRA to admit a new division included:

Robert Eddy, Goodwill Industries, Chicago, IL Margaret E. Fairbairn, Veterans Administration, Hines, IL Henry Leonard, Jewish Vocational Service, Milwaukee, WI J. S. Massenburg, Governor's Committee, Raleigh, NC Hendrich D. Mugaas, U.S. Employment Service, Washington, D.C. Louis P. Ortale, Vocational Rehabilitation, Des Moines, IA Thomas J. Skelly, Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, Washington, D.C.

Following the initial meeting in Miami, the ad hoc committee aggressively pursued their goal with other meetings. On November 10, 1964, during the 1964 NRA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, the organization's first officers were elected:

Robert Eddy (IL), President Margaret E. Fairbairn (IL), Secretary-Treasurer Louis Ortale (IA), President-Elect Fred Board (NY), Board Member at Large Leonard Heise (IL), Board Member at Large Seth Henderson (OK), Board Member at Large James Massenberg (NC), Board Member at Large Paul Messmer (DC), Board Member at Large John Whitaker (TX), Board Member at Large

On January 15, 1965 provisional status was granted to the Job Placement Division.

Robert Eddy

Robert Eddy served as Chairman for these initial meetings (1964-65). He wrote hundreds of letters to NRA leaders and placement professionals throughout the country asking for their support in forming the Job Placement Division.

The first year of JPD's existence within NRA provided much evidence of Eddy's leadership. In his annual report to NRA in September 1965, Eddy noted the new division had reached a membership of 224. During that first year JPD had either regional programs or business meetings in Boston, Baltimore, and Omaha. Robert Eddy's vision for the future included membership drives, professional programs at each NRA regional conference, the establishment of regional JPD divisions, and the printing of a JPD newsletter, all of which were later fulfilled.

The first regional organization was formed in 1965 when Region VI elected the following officers:

Edward Kelley, Iowa Employment Security Commission, Des Moines, President John Fargher, Omaha, President-Elect Frances Hammer, Dept. of Social Welfare, Topeka, Secretary-Treasurer.

Lou Ortale

The second President (1965-66) was Lou Ortale, who shared Eddy's vision but was not able to be involved in the initial organizational meetings due to travel restrictions. During his Presidency, Ortale tried to carry out the initiatives started by Eddy. Membership became a priority and Les Cole, Washington, D.C. (later to be 1979 President) served as membership chairman.

Lou was an eloquent speaker who gave presentations on job placement at numerous events throughout the country. He was also well known for training counselors in placement techniques, frequently accompanying counselors on employer visits in behalf of the employment needs of Iowans with disabilities. Ortale stated that "Enthusiasm is important, but we must remember, he who would kindle a flame in others must first himself glow." Lou Ortale was Immediate Past President when he unexpectedly died of a heart ailment in 1967.

Margaret E. Fairbairn

Margaret Fairbairn was an active member of the ad hoc committee and served as Secretary-Treasurer during the Eddy Administration. She was 4 rehabilitation consultant at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Hines, IL. Her copies of Robert Eddy's letters during his tenure as ad hoc Committee Chairman and first JPD President, help provide our understanding of that period in our history. She and other committee members wrote the Constitution and By-Laws of the new division during the November 1963 meeting in Washington, D. C. Just fifteen days before his death, Fairbairn and other members of the ad hoc committee, along with members of the Governors' Committees on Employment of the Handicapped, were received by President John F. Kennedy. On April 23, 1971 while serving as JPD Board Member at Large, Fairbairn died in an automobile accident.

JPD Publications

During the Ortale Administration, a committee chaired by Paul Messmer (JPD President 1969-70) was formed to create a newsletter. Also serving on the committee were Hendrick Mugass (President 1966-67) and Leslie Cole (President 1978-79). This newsletter later became The Job Placement Digest and Paul Messmer became its first editor. In 1968 during the Massenburg Administration it became a quarterly publication with Art Edgerton as editor. It was edited for many years by Elizabeth Aino (OH) until 1988 when Roger Hays (NE) became the editor. This publication continues to be the organization's official newsletter and source of information for JPD members.

During the Presidency of Elizabeth Aino (1984-85), The Journal of Job Placement was established. The Journal originated in the form of a supplement to The Job Placement Digest in 1970 edited by Joseph Carvajal. In 1985 it officially became The Journal of Job Placement edited by Dr. William Martin, Jr. who continued as its editor until Dr. Patrick Taricone took over in 1993.

Lou Ortale Lectures

The first Lou Ortale Lecture was presented at the National NRA Conference in San Diego in September of 1970. The first four Lou Ortale Lecturers were close friends and colleagues of Lou Ortale: James Burress (1970), Edgar Porter (1971), Clayton Morgan (1972), and William Usdane (1973).

Jim Burress, Denver, Colorado, a Regional Commissioner for Social and Rehabilitation Services (HEW), and a friend and colleague of Lou Ortale, served as the first lecturer. The lectures have traditionally been held at the JPD luncheon during the national conferences and serve as a platform for rehabilitation leaders to advocate for improved rehabilitation placement services. These lectures have been published and are available today.

In 1985, NRA's Executive Director, David Mills (L\), served as the Ortale Lecturer. During his lecture Mills reflected on his early years as a rehabilitation counselor with his mentor, Lou Ortale. Mills' lecture was accompanied by an oil painting of Lou Ortale which had been donated in 1971 to JPD. The portrait is presently displayed in the Ortale Memorial Library at the Iowa State Vocational Rehabilitation Facility in Des Moines.

Seventies

President Tom Benedict's article in The Job Placement Digest of February 1971 stated that the Job Placement Division had "reached maturity". As the young division moved into the decade of the '70s its leaders began to solidify the gains experienced immediately following its creation. Conference training programs were developed and membership and unit development were advanced. In 1973, all of NRA's life members (2,000) were added to JPD's roles. While most of the life members did not remain in JPD, the division's membership grew beyond 900. The division held its first national training session outside of a national conference in Washington, D.C. in March of 1974. Training topics included job seeking skills and vocational exploration, as topical today as they were then.

Margaret E. Fairbairn Award

In honor of Margaret E. Fairbairn, a National Award for Outstanding Service to Placement was originated in May 1972. The Margaret E. Fairbairn Placement Award serves as JPD's most prestigious award for rehabilitation placement practitioners.

Eighties

An issue of the '80s was a definition of professionalism in job placement. President Marvin Tooman stated in a 1982 article in The Job Placement Digest that "job placement professionals will need to possess identifiable competencies in the rehabilitation placement process." He proposed a Professional Standards and Ethics for the Job Placement Division of NRA. This document was accepted by the National JPD Board at their December 1982 Board Meeting.

During the Presidency of Larry McCorkle (1983-84) new standing committees were added: Rehabilitation Services Administration Liaison, standards/certification/education, Projects With Industry, union liaison, transitional employment, and archives. Sally Patton (MA) served as Chair of the Transitional Employment Committee.

Membership made great gains in this decade, growing to over 1400, as a result of the efforts of Larry McCorkle (OH) and Dave Greimann (IA).

JPD Teleconferences

In 1989 and 1992, JPD and the University of Wisconsin/Stout sponsored satellite teleconferences which offered training in job placement in sites all across the United States. This state-of-the-art training was transmitted via an earth-orbiting satellite which sent the live television signal to receiver sites in over 20 states.

Barbra McCarty Memorial Award

In 1990 the Barb McCarty Award was initiated to commemorate the contributions of a hard-working rehabilitation professional from Des Moines, IA. As an employee of Drake University, Barb McCarty coordinated "Technology for the Blind," a training seminar she and other Drake employees presented each year. Barb was a busy lady, having been in the Peace Corps, and had worked as a rehabilitation counselor and in the Rehabilitation and Continuing Education Program at Drake. Her death at an early age prompted JPD to award a plaque and a cash award of $250.00 to a present or past JPD officer for outstanding service to JPD.

Name Change

In 1990 the JPD membership passed a constitutional amendment to change the association's name. The name was changed to exert more political clout in legislative initiatives. In the past, JPD had been viewed as an informal, ad hoc sub-group of the National Rehabilitation Association. The name change was initiated because JPD was seen as "just a division of NRA." This "divisional status" had a detrimental effect on efforts made by the association in lobbying for legislative issues of importance to job placement professionals. This "divisional status" was widely believed within governmental and other entities, despite the fact that JPD has been an individual unit within NRA, with its own Board of Directors, annual budgets, and professional publications for over 25 years. The resulting name change did not affect the original organization. Its constitutional structure, goals, and objectives remain as they have been since its inception.

Organizational Structure 

Presently JPD is governed by the following elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and six board members. Each of the seven NRA regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Plains, Great Lakes, Southwest and Pacific) is represented by a Regional Representative. The Regional Representatives serve on the JPD Board, and provide chapter development and membership services. In addition, the NRA/JPD Representative to the NRA Board also serves on the National JPD Board.

The JPD organization includes the position of National Membership Chair and the editors of The Job Placement Digest and The Journal of Job Placement. The committees within JPD are: Archives, Awards, Nominations, Program, Unit Grants, Ways and Means, Strategic Planning, Professional Concerns and Lou Ortale Lecture.

Member Benefits

JPD members receive the following publications: The Job Placement Digest (a quarterly newsletter describing current news and updates about JPD and job placement-related information), and The Journal of Job Placement (a scholarly job placement research publication printed twice per year). JPD members are entitled to seek election and/or appointment to JPD offices and committees. Members may attend JPD sponsored training at discounted prices. Best of all, JPD members have the unique opportunity to network with the most knowledgeable, capable, and helpful professionals in the discipline of selective job placement of people with disabilities.

Today

Robert Eddy's dreams of having strong local organizations has come true. Iowa and Texas continue to have large state units. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio all have newsletters. Iowa and Wisconsin hold annual seminars that are well attended.

The National Rehabilitation Association of Job Placement and Development continues its work to encourage, train, and support the providers of professional job development/placement services for people with disabilities. The efforts and accomplishments of JPD continue to assure equality, inclusion and successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities now and in the future.

Note: A special note of appreciation is extended to two JPD members from Iowa. Gerald Byers of Council Bluffs, is the 1984 Margaret E. Fairbairn Award winner, and chair of the JPD Archives Committee. Marvin Tooman of West Des Moines served as President of JPD (1982-83) and was JPD Representative to the NRA Board (1989-91). Additional credit goes to Jeanette Strong for help in preparing this document.

Frank Strong, Jr. is a Past President of JPD (1988-89), presently employed as Program Administrator for the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living in Des Moines. He is just completing his three-year term representing JPD on the NRA Board, and serves locally as a Board Member of the South Dakota Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. He earlier worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Iowa Department for the Blind, where he was the recipient of the Margaret E. Fairbairn Job Placement Award (1989), and the Bill Donahue Memorial Award (1988). Frank has served as President of both Iowa and South Dakota State JPDs.