Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan* must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA:
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* Sec. 102(b)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- d. Coordination with Education Officials
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- O. State's StrategiesDescribe the required strategies and how the agency will use these strategies to achieve its goals and priorities, support innovation and expansion activities, and overcome any barriers to accessing the VR and the Supported Employment programs (See sections 101(a)(15)(D) and (18)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act and section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)):
- O. State's Strategies
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- d. Coordination with Education Officials
d. 2. O. i. The Methods to Be Used to Expand and Improve Services to Individuals with Disabilities.
Current Narrative:
- ARS will meet all the corrective actions required to address ARS’ remaining FY 2011 compliance findings by no later than the completion of the first quarter of FY 2017.
- The agency will host or participate in business conferences including Chamber of Commerce events, Society of Human Resource Managers annual statewide meetings, and Industry Liaison Group business symposiums to promote the hiring of people with disabilities. These conferences will provide information and education on the value added services offered by ARS and will provide opportunities to establish relationships that result in hiring of consumers.
- ARS will enhance relationships with businesses whose corporate offices are headquartered in Arkansas, and will build partnerships with senior corporate officers and managers to gain support for hiring consumers.
- ARS will develop performance-based contracts with supported employment providers across the state to increase the percentage of sustainable employment outcomes.
- ARS will implement a marketing plan to increase awareness of ARS VR services to private citizens, service providers, and business and industry, and that will more clearly identify underserved communities and transition and pre-employment transition consumers as recommended in the Statewide Comprehensive Needs Assessment.
- ARS will work with other interested parties and organizations to educate employers and businesses regarding disability issues and to provide outreach to increase opportunities for consumers to attain competitive employment. As part of this effort, Access and Accommodations will target business related conferences including Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference, Arkansas Self-insurers Association Conference, etc., to provide information and training as it relates to accommodating employees with disabilities in the workplace.
- ACTI will begin, expand, and offer training and evaluation services in local communities beyond Hot Springs. This will include Rehab Initial Diagnosis and Assessment for Clients (RIDAC) and Learning and Evaluation Center (LEC) evaluations.
- ACTI will work with statewide partners to facilitate pre-apprenticeship training for registered apprenticeships.
- ARS will focus additional efforts toward placement of ACTI graduates. This includes working with employers in automobile collision repair, automobile service repair, cosmetology, and construction technology. In addition, ACTI will continue to offer short-term programs including: Transition Employment Program, Career Readiness Certificate training, OSHA certification, Professional Career Performance Program (Positive Behavior Support), forklift operation certification, logistics training block (Basic Logistics, Certified Logistics Technician, and Certified Production Technician), and call center training to address skills gaps identified by employers from across the state.
- ARS will, in consultation with RSA, complete necessary improvements to the Army Reserve Building adjacent to ACTI in order to improve VR services and to increase employment outcomes.
- ARS/ACTI will coordinate with local and statewide higher education institutions, independently and respectively, to provide continuing education and training for VR consumers wishing to pursue higher accreditation in skilled trades and to enhance employment outcomes.
- ACTI will realign vocational evaluation services to better serve ARS consumers. These services will focus on identifying accommodations, evaluating skills and abilities needed for in-demand careers in Arkansas, and providing comprehensive feedback to consumers and ARS counselors to facilitate more effective individual plans for employment.
- ACTI will increase use of the electronic case management system to streamline the referral process and provision of feedback to vocational counselors and managers in the field.
- ACTI staff will provide face to face meetings with field staff to supplement electronic notifications of programming changes.