Director's Message
John Benshoff
Welcome to the website of the Rehabilitation Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the largest and most comprehensive university based rehabilitation education and service program in the United States. A division of the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), the Rehabilitation Institute is dedicated to the mission of improving the lives of person with disabilities through the teaching, research, and service of our faculty and staff.
Our 6 academic programs offer pre-professional training to equip students to enter a wide variety of positions in rehabilitation and human services settings. We offer bachelor’s degrees in Rehabilitation Services, and Communication Disorders and Sciences. Our master’s degree programs include degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling, Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Communication Disorders and Sciences and Rehabilitation Administration and Services. Students in our Doctor of Philosophy program prepare for careers as university educators, researchers, clinicians and practitioners. We have more than 3800 alumni working in rehabilitation and rehabilitation education settings on every continent.
Our Rehabilitation Counselor Training Program is ranked 6th in the nation among the 100 rehabilitation counseling programs accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. In 2005, the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program received the “Enduring Contribution to Behavior Analysis Award” from the Association for Behavior Analysis and the Rehabilitation Institute received the Rehabilitation Services Administration Commissioner’s Award for achievement and distinction in rehabilitation education in 2006. Our Studies in Substance Abuse certificate program was named the “Outstanding Addiction Education Program” for 2004 by the International Association of Addiction and Offender Counseling. Many of our faculty have received national awards for their contribution to rehabilitation and rehabilitation education.
The Rehabilitation Institute is more than a group of academic programs: our service programs offer counseling, vocational development and placement, therapy, continuing education and other services in six settings on campus, around the Southern Illinois region and in six states bordering the Great Lakes. In addition to client services, each site provides opportunities for research, and student clinical experience. Our service programs include the Evaluation and Developmental Center, Project 12 Ways, the Clinical Center, the Employability Development Project, the Great Lakes Rehabilitation Continuing Education program and the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The Rehabilitation Institute has a rich history of preparing students to enter a wide spectrum of positions in rehabilitation and human service settings. I am pleased by your interest in our programs and hope you find the information you need on our website. Do not hesitate to call us or send us an email if you have additional questions.
Best wishes,
John J. Benshoff, Ph. D., CRC
Interim Director and Professor