Summary: This is the premier episode, “Tour of the Studio.” The show starts with a 90 second vocational rehabilitation success story preview. Then Guest Co-Host Kanika Davis, Miss Wheelchair Virginia 2014 and Rick Sizemore take you on a tour of the four categories available on this podcast; 1) Inspiration Showcase 2) Business, Industry and Employer Gateway 3) VR Briefing Room and 4) Workforce and Rehabilitation Center Insider. The last half of the show is an engaging and personal interview with Kanika Davis – her positive attitude and winning approach to life will inspire you. The tour is filled with quick introductions to future guests.<br> <br> Episode 0001 Transcript<br> Transcribed by: Cameron Payne Scott<br> VR Workforce Studio: inspiration, education, and affirmation at work. The Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center: A division of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services available in podcast on ITunes or by subscription at www.vrworkforcestudio.com, sponsored by the WWRC Foundation.<br> Welcome to the VR Workforce Studio, I’m your host, Rick Sizemore, and everyone here in the studio is absolutely thrilled to welcome you to our first episode. The studio is where we celebrate individuals with disabilities who are either in or preparing to be a part of the workforce in Virginia. We not only celebrate the champions of business and industry who hire individual s with disabilities, but also the vocational rehabilitation professionals who dedicated their lives and careers to creating hope and a path forward to employment so individuals with disabilities can work and lead better lives.<br> Our whole crew has been working for months to get us up and running for this day: the first day, the grand opening, the debut, our ‘premiere’! And we’re delighted that you’ve joined us for this tour of the studio. <br> Up next, we have the most incredible 90-second vocational rehabilitation success story you’ve ever heard, I guarantee it! And you have a front row seat! So, let’s get this podcast off of the ground and bring the VR Workforce Studio online!<br> DARS FIELD COUNSELOR: “Three years ago, Morgan was not in a good place. She was having some real problems making the adjustment from being a kid to being an independent living adult.”<br> FATHER: “So we sent her to welding school down in Newport.”<br> MORGAN: “I ended up hurting my back really bad and every few months it would go out to point where I could not walk for three days.”<br> FATHER: “And she says ‘Dad, I quit.’”<br> DARS FIELD COUNSELOR: “Somehow Morgan you know she does what she needs to do. And that is what really made me want to get behind this young lady.”<br> MORGAN: “Carpentry turned out to be a heck of a lot easier on my back. I’m like, ‘Ok, this is what we’re going to do right here!’”<br> INSTRUCTOR: “Morgan is a very skilled woodworker. She has taken everything I’ve had to give as far as cabinet making and furniture assembly. She soaked it up like a sponge.”<br> EMPLOYER: … I’m Paul Borzelleca Modern-boy Woodshop in Staunton. And Morgan is turning out to be a really diligent worker and very serious about her work. But great to hang out with also. She’s been a fun addition. And she doesn’t mind doing the menial stuff as long as well as the more fun stuff. So she is a good addition to our crew over here.”<br> FATHER: “And so to see where she is at today [Chuckles proudly] compared to three years ago! It reminds me I am a Marine, and we take kids out of civilian life, put them in the Marine Corps, and make them Marines. Today she can call herself a graduate. And I love her!”<br> MORGAN: “I love you, Dad!”<br> You can hear the interview with Morgan in its entirety in an upcoming episode from injured welding student to successfully employed carpenter: a reflection on Morgan’s journey with her vocational rehabilitation team, her family, her employer, and staff from the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center. <br>
