From Dream to Reality: How DVR Helped One Wisconsinite Become a Nurse

Project SEARCH graduate Kayla Fuher poses for a photo.

Kayla Fuher first heard about the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) during her senior year of high school. Her substitute guidance counselor knew about DVR but hadn't yet worked with a student for the program. She thought Kayla could be a good fit for DVR and helped her fill out an application.

That marked the beginning of a new journey for Kayla.

"I've always wanted to be a nurse, and finally being able to be one, even with my disability, has been a dream come true. DVR helped me plan for my college and made sure that it was feasible for me to go into nursing," said Kayla.

In Wisconsin, three state agencies prepare young individuals like Kayla for success in the workforce. Together, the Department of Health Services (DHS), Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the DWD/DVR collaborate to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to competitive integrated employment opportunities.

Competitive integrated employment (CIE) refers to work in which an individual with a disability is paid no less than the customary rate earned by other employees performing similar work, regularly interacts with people both with and without disabilities, and has access to the same benefits and advancement opportunities as peers without disabilities.

Services that supported a career trajectory

After she was approved for DVR services, Kayla was assigned to vocational rehabilitation counselor Anne Schowalter and talked at length with her about her career aspirations. Anne guided Kayla to apply for the Training Grant, which ultimately helped pay for her nursing education at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee.

But getting her education wasn’t without its own challenges. One of Kayla's clinical sites was in Racine, and she did not have reliable transportation to get there. "DVR was able to help me with transportation assistance and make sure I could get to the clinical site so I could be successful," said Kayla.

DVR's support was not limited to tuition funding or transportation assistance. "Another service that I received during my time in college was the guidance from my DVR counselor in navigating college and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. She (Anne) was invaluable," said Kayla. "During my time with DVR, I learned how to effectively advocate for myself, and that has impacted how I advocate for the needs of my patients during my work as a registered nurse."

Kayla says DVR positively impacted her career path because she doesn’t think she would have gotten to where she is today without its support. "Having access to DVR and the services led me to be able to finish college," said Kayla.

A destination reached, with new goals to achieve

Today, Kayla is a registered nurse working third shift at Rogers Memorial Hospital within the Child and Adolescent eating disorder unit. Kayla enjoys helping patients and seeing them grow and improve.

"The reason that I wanted to get into nursing is that I just wanted to help people, and I feel like in this job, I am helping people," said Kayla.

In her spare time, Kayla has multiple hobbies – mainly involving some kind of crafting. "I sew, quilt, crochet, machine embroider, hand embroider, cross stitch, and use a silhouette portrait, which is like a Cricut machine." She also makes stickers, loves woodworking, fishing, going to the library, taking her family dog, Xena, on a walk, spending time with her family, or shopping.

Kayla plans to work as a registered nurse for a few more years to gain experience, but she already has eyes on the future. She'd like to eventually return to school and pursue her nurse practitioner license. She doesn’t know exactly what area she’ll focus on, but she knows that there is time to figure out her next steps.

Regardless, she's grateful for DVR's assistance along her journey.

"I most likely would not be where I am today without the help of DVR," said Kayla. "They were instrumental in me being able to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse."

Kayla is one of thousands of individuals across Wisconsin who benefit from Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) opportunities – a joint effort of DHS, DPI, and DWD-DVR formalized in 2017 through Wisconsin Act 178. Read about the impact of this state agency collaboration in the 2026 CIE Annual Report.