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:
__________
* 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. viii. III. Overcome Identified Barriers Relating to Equitable Access to and Participation of Individuals with Disabilities in the State Vr Services Program and the State Supported Employment Services Program.
Current Narrative:
Overcoming barriers to equitable access and the full participation of Arkansans with disabilities is an essential and indispensable goal of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services’ statewide needs assessment. While the general population is well served, the statewide needs assessment recommends a greater emphasis be placed on providing state VR services and supported employment services in rural areas of the state. As part of a comprehensive strategy to address the need, ARS has instituted a program called Community Connections, is partnering with more local service provider agencies, and hosts career fairs that targets individuals with disabilities - especially the youth. Additionally, the implementation of programs like the Transition Employment Program and Project Search provide opportunities to acquire employability training and independent living skills to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities while ensuring equitable access to VR consumers throughout the state. Moreover, ARS has identified specific areas of the state that have historically been underserved primarily as a result of the small number of supported employment vendors located in the rural areas of the state. ARS is working diligently to expand the service areas of existing supported employment vendors while concomitantly developing incentives to establish new supported employment vendors for the express purpose of ensuring equitable access and greater opportunities for participation for individuals with disabilities.