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. 3. The outreach procedures that will be used to identify and serve individuals with disabilities who are minorities, including those with the most significant disabilities, as well as those who have been unserved or underserved by the VR program
Current Narrative:
LRS Counselors are required to conduct outreach to faculty and students statewide at high schools and colleges to educate consumers with disabilities, who are unserved or underserved, regarding available VR services. In addition, outreach is conducted at prisons for individuals in pre-release programs and at community functions regarding available services.
In rural areas, the counselors travel to meet with applicants/consumers in a convenient location to provide services and work with them to obtain employment. LRS Counselors are also using electronic means, including ZOOM™ meetings and electronic signatures, to provide enhanced and equal access to services for all applicants and provide services to consumers who either have difficulty with transportation or want to limit physical contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on needs identified in the needs assessment for transition students, outreach to local school districts continues to be conducted to identify those districts who are interested in a Third-Party Cooperative Arrangement for transition services to increase success and improve post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities.
LRS maintains a strong collaboration with the Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Aging and Adult Services to identify potential sources of referrals.
A Program Manager for LRS represents the agency as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Professional Network (DEI-PN) through the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR). The DEI-PN’s focus is to review opportunities to support State Agency requests for assistance with DEI initiatives; such as recommending or providing resources to help achieve goals (i.e. training material and reading lists), and recommend facilitators with expertise in DEI to assist in group discussions. The goal is to establish strategies and definable actions that foster equality of opportunity in the workplace; to better serve diverse consumers; and to gain an understanding the various challenges that historically marginalized social identity groups including Blacks, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Asian / Pacific Islanders (AAP) and persons with disabilities, as well as other communities working to overcome adversities.
LRS works collaboratively with Section 121 VR programs to ensure that any service needs to Native Americans with disabilities are addressed. A Program Manager is assigned to provide technical assistance to the field concerning outreach to this population. Outreach is performed through presentations at events sponsored by Section 121 groups and at functions attended by Native Americans. A representative from Section 121 VR programs is on the State Rehabilitation Council and acts as a liaison between the two programs.