National Council on Rehabilitation Education

Greetings NCRE members and friends,

Welcome to the National Council on Rehabilitation Education website. I invite you to “click” your way to explore the site and learn about our organization. With diverse membership of nearly 500 members, NCRE represents rehabilitation educators, trainers, researchers, students, and others primarily concerned with the preparation and maintenance of professional standards for individuals who provide services to persons with disabilities.

As you “click” through our site, I hope that you will recognize the opportunities that NCRE membership can provide to further professional development. Our membership is the cornerstone of our organization. Please review our councils and consider becoming a part of these exemplary groups that involve the leaders in our field. The councils include the Council on Distance Learning, the Council on Diversity and Equity, the Council on Psychiatric Disabilities, and the Council on Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. We have representatives for each of the 10 NCRE regions within the U.S., and international and student representative.

As President of NCRE and a rehabilitation researcher and educator, I believe in the civil and economic rights essential to the human dignity of all persons with disabilities. I believe in the power we have as an organization to promote and improve rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities by quality rehabilitation education and rehabilitation research.

Our annual National Rehabilitation Educator’s Conference promotes professional skill development, learning, and opportunity to establish and foster alliances both nationally and internationally through the membership of those with established partnerships; further develop strategies to increase training and research funding for rehabilitation education by utilizing our national membership and resources in Washington, DC.

In these times of diminished resources, I view the leadership role of President as imperative in working as a team with the NCRE Leadership to further strengthen collaborations between NCRE and other organizations to build partnerships to prepare rehabilitation professionals for the challenges ahead.

In response to the challenges within our profession, I quote President John F. Kennedy, “We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.” For we, the NCRE membership, are a point of light for every person with a disability, rehabilitation professional, and student we serve.

All the best,

Ken

Kenneth C. Hergenrather, Ph.D., CRC

NCRE President