Katherine Knutzen Email and Phone Number

I will be helping fellow VR Coordinators with paperwork related tasks, as well as helping with billing needs, and greeting individuals with disabilities looking for a job in the Columbus community.

I will be coordinating services for those who have various disabilities in the Lincoln area.

I was a part of the Special Needs Team #2 and served families who had children in state's care with special needs. Some of my duties included writing court reports, attending court, JO court hearings, attending mental health appointments with the child in state's care, attending school IEP or 504 Plan meetings or concerns with behavior meetings, referrals for mental health and therapy, communicating with bio parents, foster parents, and all other individuals involved in the case. I learned the importance of time management and working with a partner and a team.

I shadowed the school social worker and learned the responsibilities and duties of a school social worker in the U.S.D. 259 district. I assisted with IEP and 504 Plans. I held small groups with students and one-on-one meetings as well. I visited other schools in the district, to have a better picture of what schools look like in the district where the student population is minority. Communicated with parents as well as needed for meetings and updates in regards to their child.

Rainbows United serves campers who have disabilities and exceptionalities. I am looking forward to being able to work with the campers and staff at Rainbows United!

Families Together aids families with children who have disabilities/exceptionalities by Empowering, Educating, and Encouraging them by assisting families in how the offered services would better serve their family. Some of my duties included answering phones and providing parents with resources in the Wichita area and answering e-mails to assist with supports and resources. Parents would come into the office for assistance and I would meet with them to determine what resources would be most helpful.

I worked at Camp Courageous of Iowa as a Counselor who interacted with individuals who had a wide range of exceptionalities and disabilities. Camp Courageous serves campers from age 5 to elderly and they are open year around. Located in a rural setting in Iowa, campers and counselors spend most of their time outside conquering challenging new activities and participating in activities they enjoy every year. Camp Courageous had different weeks, for example, week 1 was a youth week, week 2 was physical impairment week, week 3, visual impairment, ect. Personal care was a part of this position and camp provided counselors with a weeks worth of training for personal care, lifts, how to feed individuals who are unable to feed themselves, and how to maneuver the pool with campers in terms of life jackets, showers, and getting into the pool.

My job was to welcome guests to campus and also to prep for them by making the bed, having amenities ready, and towels. We also cleaned up after them as well. Also, if there was a big event on campus we would help with the set up.

For two summers I worked at check in, which was where we sorted and organized the book into the system. For another two summers I worked in covers, where I put countless covers on books either by hand or on a machine, but mostly on the machine. I learned quite a bit on how a factory works and how they depend on you to be there and be ready to work.