Narrative: a. 2.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 1:

DRS agrees that its partnership with the WV Department of Education (WVDE) is vital to the success of the provision of Pre-ETS to high school students with disabilities. In Program Year (PY) 2019, DRS hosted a joint conference with the Office of Special Education within WVDE which was attended by both DRS counselors and Special Education Staff and Teachers statewide. DRS anticipates similar conferences in the future. Special Education Teachers have also been trained to use the Pathways to the Future website with their students, as well as instructional materials regarding Pre-ETS to be used in the classroom. Additionally, because a DRS counselor is assigned to every WV high school, DRS counselors are in frequent communication with teachers, students, and other educational staff.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 2:

DRS agrees that it is important for transitioning youth (TY) with disabilities to begin the vocational rehabilitation process as early as appropriate. DRS is open to the recommendation and has requested that counselors identify any possible opportunities for embedded VR offices within high schools. Relatedly, the West Virginia School for the Blind has made a request, to which DRS has agreed, to have on-campus DRS counseling staff available to provide services, including Pre-ETS, in an expeditious manner. If additional opportunities arise, DRS will move forward to establish offices, where appropriate and agreed upon by both parties.

In support of this aim, DRS currently has fifty-nine (59) vocational rehabilitation counselors assigned to serve TY, including a counselor assigned to each high school in the state. Nineteen (19) counselors are assigned exclusively to TY territories, allowing for more time and resources to provide outreach and services, particularly Pre-ETS to high school students. These counselors are also beginning outreach to students in the ninth grade to ensure sufficient time to provide Pre-ETS and develop and implement a plan for the student’s transition from high school to post–secondary employment or training.

Additionally, DRS has made concerted efforts to provide outreach and services to non-traditional education settings for youth with disabilities, such as juvenile centers and facilities, Youth Reporting Centers, and other similar locations. The youth in these settings are afforded the same opportunity to receive Pre-ETS and other VR services as individuals in traditional settings, as appropriate.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 3:

DRS agrees that the CEO Summit program should be continued, as funds allow. In 2019, DRS sponsored numerous Summit events, utilizing the assistance of local CRPs. This allowed a greater number of students to be reached by the program and have content presented that was more geographically relevant. DRS hopes to continue to implement CRP efforts in the future to continue the CEO Summits that provide a tremendous benefit to West Virginia’s students with disabilities.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 4:

DRS agrees that CRPs are a valuable resource to consumers with disabilities in pursuit of their employment goals. As such, DRS makes consistent efforts to maintain and improve relationships with CRPs, including maintenance of an up-to-date listing of all CRPs providing each of the acknowledged CRP services. In doing so, DRS counselors are better able to inform consumers of the CRP services that are available to them in their geographic area. Additionally, CRP information can be found on the Pathways to the Future website (www.pathwayswv.org), under the Employers tab.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 5:

DRS agrees that integration and coordination with WIOA partners of WorkForce WV and WV Adult Education is highly important. Since the implementation of WIOA, DRS has worked diligently to coordinate its efforts with its WIOA core partners in order to more effectively and efficiently serve the workforce of the state, including employers and job seekers, especially those with disabilities. At the state level, DRS representatives meet with WIOA partners on a monthly basis at minimum. Additionally, many DRS staff are co-located with other WIOA partners at American Job Centers to facilitate services to its customers, including individuals with disabilities. DRS will continue, as appropriate, to disseminate information to its WIOA partners to inform them of events, best practices, and other relevant information, in the most accessible means available.

DRS Employment Specialists continuously collect employment information from their business contacts. This information, including job orders for open positions, is immediately input into the WorkForce WV’s online Mid Atlantic Career Consortium (MACC) system and shared within the Workforce Development System (WDS).

DRS will continue to serve on Business Service Teams with WorkForce WV, Adult Education, local workforce development boards, and other related entities. Through training and standardizing informational materials, when possible, these team members, including DRS Employment Specialists, provide a full range of WDS information when making visits to employers. This will allow the WDS to maximize the impact of employer visits and ensure that businesses are aware of all resources available through the WDS.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 6:

DRS agrees that educating businesses and employers, including their management, is an important step toward competitive, integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. True to this idea, DRS has an in–house Employer Services Section that specializes in providing employers with disability–related information, services, and pre–screened job seekers. The DRS Employer Services Section has 9 Employment Specialists that cover all 55 counties in West Virginia. DRS’ team of Employment Specialists provide business owners and employers with critical business options and assistance in staffing, employee retention strategies, education on disability–related issues, job accommodations, and information about financial incentives for employers who hire individuals with disabilities. DRS will continue to utilize these Employment Specialists to promote the connection of employer to job seeker with disabilities. DRS will consider the use of newsletters to businesses, highlighting success stories and training incentives in order to increase employers’ awareness.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 7:

DRS agrees with the recommendation to continue efforts to inform the general public about the availability of DRS services. In recent years, the agency has focused on reaching out to stakeholders of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, including potentially underserved/unserved consumers with disabilities from minority backgrounds. DRS utilizes the latest technology for this purpose, including a web map that includes turn–by–turn directions to each office to help potential consumers more easily find DRS field offices. As a result, DRS has maintained a constituency that is similarly proportioned to the state as a whole regarding race and ethnicity and is well represented by individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds.

Additional activities include the sponsoring of community events and statewide radio advertisements. In 2020, DRS plans to continue to identify effective ways to reach out to consumers with disabilities, including potentially underserved/unserved populations using various methods. Additionally, with the ongoing implementation of WIOA, an additional focus for DRS is to reach out to high school students, including their parents and service providers in the community.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 8:

DRS agrees that effective, good communication is a key factor in making sure that students and their families are aware of DRS services and programs that are available for eligible individuals as they begin preparing for post–secondary school goals. DRS engages in a variety of outreach activities to ensure widespread information dissemination that is beneficial for students with disabilities preparing to leave the school setting. These activities include sponsoring community events, attending job fairs, passing out brochures, and speaking to classrooms.

Additionally, the agency has a counselor assigned to each high school in West Virginia as well as liaisons assigned to institutions of higher education around the state. This on–site presence assists the agency in developing and maintaining working relationships, on a personal level, with students and school staff. Counselors provide outreach materials, including a specialized brochure for transition students. The brochure highlights the DRS Transition program, including eligibility requirements and available services. The brochure has the agency’s website address where additional information about the DRS Transition program is available. DRS will continue to explore new, effective methods of information dissemination to secondary schools and institutions of higher education.

In the agency’s effort to educate parents, DRS utilizes the West Virginia Parent Training and Information, Inc (WVPTI). The WVPTI is the only organization in West Virginia charged by the U.S. Department of Education/Office of Special Education Programs to serve as the state's Parent Training and Information Center. As mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the WVPTI provides parents of children with disabilities with the information and skills necessary to become effective partners in their children's provisions for special education and related services, including vocational rehabilitation services provided by DRS.

Furthermore, DRS will continue to consult with state and local education officials regarding the use of newsletters and registration packets to inform students and their families about DRS services. DRS counselors and special education teachers across the state also emphasize the use of the Pathways to the Future website to students with disabilities. Many high schools have banner displays promoting the use of the website as well. Finally, DRS counselors attend IEP and other transition planning meetings when they are invited and will continue to do so, in accordance with the law.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 9:

DRS agrees with the issues raised by the SRC regarding the potential increase in the number of consumers having drug and/or alcohol related issues. In addition to the implementation of a Behavioral Health and Correction Specialist at the state level, DRS has been proactive in this area in recent years by providing training to counselors. Training has occurred at the State Training Conference in the past and will continue to take place at future conferences, as appropriate. This training will assist counselors in enhancing their service provision to individuals with addiction by providing an overview of the disease of addiction and an examination of historic, current, and future treatment modalities.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 10:

DRS agrees with the SRC about the importance of working with organizations and individuals with behavioral health issues and previous incarcerations, including individuals in juvenile detention programs. As mentioned, the agency has implemented a Behavioral Health and Corrections Specialist to focus on outreach and comprehensive service provision to these individuals. The specialist will maintain working relationships with related national and state organizations, assist in the training of counselors in these specialized areas, and ensure that the agency is providing quality and timely services to these individuals.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 11:

DRS agrees that driving and transportation in general are often a barrier to employment for West Virginians with disabilities of all ages. DRS continues to seek solutions to transportation issues and maintains this as an agency goal and priority. During the initial phase of the vocational rehabilitation process, DRS counselors discuss transportation–related issues with consumers. Counselors work with consumers to address and resolve any identified disability–related employment barriers; services to circumvent barriers are included in Individualized Plans for Employment and may include transportation services. DRS also emphasizes individualized transportation services, including driver training, bioptic training, vehicle modification, and vehicle purchase, when necessary. DRS agrees that counselors need to stay abreast of resources available to consumers with disabilities regarding driving licensure, including provisional licensure, in order to best meet their needs for employment-necessary transportation.

DRS Response to Observation/Recommendation 12:

DRS agrees that training conferences are extremely valuable for agency staff members. In the past, these conferences have provided expert speakers, training sessions, and networking opportunities for field staff from across the state. Additionally, it is an enriching experience for staff members to meet others from across the state. The conference promotes cohesiveness among VR staff, as well as promoting team building, in order to serve consumers with disabilities statewide. In PY 2019, DRS and WVDE held a joint conference, bringing DRS counselors and special education teachers across the state together. DRS intends to continue conferences of this nature in the future.