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
- o. State's Strategies
Describe 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
o. 2. How a broad range of assistive technology services and devices will be provided to individuals with disabilities at each stage of the rehabilitation process and on a statewide basis
Current Narrative:
In 2021, the AT Program Coordinator worked with Fiscal, Planning, and the CRP Bureau Administrator to update approved Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Technology professionals, providers and vendors listed in our Technical Guidance and Assistance Manual for fee-for-service assessments and evaluations statewide. Innovations that have been introduced are PDF electronic signatures, ZOOM™ meetings between the AT Advisory Group, and plans to provide new AT Vendors & Providers with DocuSign™ formatted documents that will be filed and stored electronically, reducing turn-around time, corrections, and approvals.
LRS coordinates with Louisiana Assistive Technology Network (LATAN) on an expanded program, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to provide statewide demonstration, learning, lending, and purchasing assistance of assistive technology. LATAN is an approved vendor for providing a device rental service so consumers may have a more realistic trial use of an AT device before requesting that LRS provide them with said device. LATAN also has a leasing & lease-to-own program as an added option to the loan financing program.
In the past two years, LATAN has been active in responding to the weekly Emergency Management for Disabled and Elderly Coalition (EMDAC) ZOOM™ calls with the Governor’s Office of Disabled Affairs (GODA) and the Governor’s Office for Homeland Security Planning (GOHSEP), Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS), Red Cross and FEMA. Calls identify the ongoing need to provide Assistive Technology (AT) assistance as indicated by the national disaster response system. This assistance includes responding to specific, mission requests for AT in the post evacuation, sheltering, and recovery phases of a declared Stafford Act, or local disaster.