Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
j. 1. E. Who are youth with disabilities and students with disabilities, including, as appropriate, their need for pre-employment transition services or other transition services.
Current Narrative:
DBVI is experiencing an increase in transition-aged and working aged consumers according to the CSNA data. This could be the result of the loss of the homemaker closure coupled with the recent requirement to spend 15% of Title I funds on students with a disability. It could also be that the inverse is true and the increase in the transition-aged consumers is the direct result of the increased focus on activities for pre-employment transition services for students with a disability.
Maine DBVI performs a comprehensive assessment of rehabilitation needs when developing individual employment plans with all clients including students with a disability, youth and transition clients. In PY19, DBVI worked with 72 students and youth with a disability. As part of this assessment a number of approaches are used including solicitation of youth/families to participate in a BRS youth council; letters are sent to school districts by VRCs discussing Extended Core Curriculum activities seeking input/engagement in the process of school personnel; pre and post assessments are performed with youth/parents who participate in LIFE/LOYO/College Prep and most recently the ACE academy; engagement in peer mentoring seeking feedback and input from the youth participating; when developing IPEs input from their IEPs, TVIs, O&Ms and VRTs in always included where appropriate. Further, Maine DBVI provides services from Blindness Rehabilitation Specialists who work with many potentially eligible and PreEts clients and their families prior to working with our Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors in an effort to better identify and coordinate vocational, educational and rehabilitative needs of these young clients.
Under WIOA an emphasis on Career Pathways and economic self-sufficiency has resulted in additional time spent in achieving successful outcomes. RSA guidance suggested that DBVI staff present students and youth with a career development approach that views minimum wage employment as a work experience and that promotes continuation of vocational rehabilitation guidance and counseling and other services that assist youth in obtaining higher paying careers.