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    Awards and Competitions!

    The American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) is now seeking nominations for Specialty Awards and Student Awards recognizing outstanding scholars, practitioners, and students in rehabilitation counseling.  Nominate someone today!

    In addition, the ARCA Board is excited to accept proposals for a new Doctoral Student Research Proposal Competition.   For more information about the competitions and awards, including criteria and deadlines, see below.

    All Awards and Competitions are reviewed by the ARCA Awards Committee that includes the Research and Knowledge Chair, Public Relations and Awareness Chair, and Student Representative of the Board.

    Doctoral Student Research Proposal Competition

    The new Doctoral Student Research Proposal Competition offers funding of $1,000 to the doctoral student with the winning proposal.

    Eligible applicants should be current doctoral students who have (1) an ARCA professional membership and (2) enrollment in a counselor education doctoral program focused on rehabilitation counseling at the time of application.   The deadline for submitting proposals is January 31 no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, and only proposals emailed to ARCA Research and Knowledge Chair, Dr. Amanda Tashjian, at amandaeaston@arizona.edu will be accepted for review.

    The ARCA Awards Committee will evaluate research proposals for merit, feasibility, and relevance to ARCA’s mission.  Required application materials include (a) two letters of reference/support that speak to the student’s ability to complete the research and (b) the Research Proposal Template: link here

    Additional supporting documents are optional but must be limited to eight pages.

    The proposals undergo an independent peer review process.  A panel of expert reviewers assigned by the Research and Knowledge Committee will evaluate each eligible proposal.  The ARCA Awards Committee considers all proposals, letters of support, and reports from the peer review panel.  Final decisions made by the ARCA Awards Committee and ARCA Board of Directors.  Each applicant will receive a copy of the reports from the peer review panel.

    Funding is for the one-year period of ARCA’s fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30.  At the conclusion of the one-year period, the student will prepare and submit a report of how the funding was spent and an executive summary report that describes the research for lay readers that will be considered for publication in the ARCA newsletter.  The executive summary should include a discussion of the findings with respect to the professional practice of rehabilitation counseling.

    Special Awards and Student Awards

    The Special Awards and Student Awards recognize outstanding scholars, practitioners, and students in rehabilitation counseling, and will be presented at the American Counseling Association (ACA) Conference and Exposition, during the ARCA Reception.  Award recipients are encouraged to attend the annual ACA conference.

    Eligible nominees must be ARCA members.  (Candidates may join ARCA to be nominated for awards.  For more information about becoming an ARCA member, go to: https://www.counseling.org/membership/join-reinstate-today.)  The deadline for submitting all Award Nominations for all awards is January 31 no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, and only proposals emailed to ARCA Research and Knowledge Chair, Dr. Amanda Tashjian, at amandaeaston@arizona.edu will be accepted for review.

    The ARCA Awards Committee will evaluate nominations based on the following criteria:

    The James F. Garrett Award

    The James F. Garrett Award recognizes a person who has a Distinguished Career in Rehabilitation Research, which includes excellence in research contributions over one’s career. The nominee may or may not be retired in order to qualify. Nominee’s published research should span at least 15 years and focus on rehabilitation counseling.  Nominations should include strong evidence supportive of the nomination, e.g., letters of support, samples of publications, and curriculum vitae.

    The Research Award

    The Research Award recognizes and honors high quality, empirical research in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Research published in peer-reviewed outlets in the current nomination year will be considered. If the submission is accepted for publication in the current year but not yet published it is also eligible for review. Reviewers for this annual award are instructed to evaluate the methodology, data collection, sample size, sample characteristics, data analysis, data interpretation, and statistical integrity of the work. A standard evaluation form is used and volunteers are asked to be evaluators.

     

    Rehabilitation Counselor of the Year

    The Rehabilitation Counselor of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has contributed to improving the lives of persons with disabilities, and in doing so, has made a substantial contribution to the practice of rehabilitation counseling.  Candidates will be evaluated on the following criteria:

    Candidate has made a significant contribution to the field of rehabilitation counseling and has improved the quality of life for persons with disabilities

    • Candidate has been highly recognized by professional peers and colleagues for exemplary efforts in working with persons with disabilities in a public or private rehabilitation setting
    • Candidate has demonstrated use of innovative techniques that have practical application for achieving positive and successful rehabilitation outcomes with clients and consumers
    • Candidate has documented a distinguished record of initiating, motivating, leading, and coordinating activities related to a professional counseling association that focuses on persons with disabilities

    Nominations should speak to the above criteria and include:

    1. Nominee CV or resume
    2. Two (2) letters of support

    Master’s and Doctoral Student Awards

     The ARCA Student of the Year Awards recognizes both Master’s and Doctoral students for their outstanding contributions, academic achievements, and commitment to the rehabilitation counseling profession.  All candidates must be in good standing at their University and have a minimum GPA of 3.0.  Candidates will be evaluated on the following criteria:

    Involvement in professional organizations, campus activities, and the graduate community

    • Contribution to knowledge through research, teaching, and scholarship
    • Contribution to the graduate community

    Nominations should speak to the above criteria and include:

    • Candidate’s Curriculum Vitae
    • Candidate’s Transcript
    • Letters of support
      • One from an academic faculty member at the candidate’s University
      • One from an individual who has personal knowledge of the candidate’s character and involvement in the field of rehabilitation counseling

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