Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
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. B. Who are minorities;
Current Narrative:
To assess the needs of individuals with disabilities who are minorities, unserved or underserved, LRS extracted information from various surveys including LRS consumers, workforce partners, stakeholders, the public and LRS employees.
When asked about barriers to employment, respondents reported the following needs: Employer sensitivity training for greater understanding and acceptance of individuals with disabilities in the workplace, better transportation services throughout the state to access employment, benefits planning to address individual’s fear of losing government benefits and additional public resources. It was noted that services are needed for individuals living in rural areas as well as CRPs to provide services such as job skills and job readiness training, job placement assistance, and post-employment services. It was also noted that LRS needs to do more outreach to rural communities, students and employed individuals who may need accommodations such as assistive technology devices.
When asked how LRS can increase engagement with minorities with disabilities, the following recommendations were provided by LRS Employee Survey respondents: community outreach; participation in organizations for minorities, marketing, more LRS staff, a better relationship with schools and other educational facilities; and training for staff on diversity.
LRS will continue to develop strategies to address these identified needs in collaboration with the Social Security Administration, the Department of Transportation and other partners.