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:
__________
[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. 8. C. Overcome identified barriers relating to equitable access to and participation of individuals with disabilities in the State VR Services Program and the State Supported Employment Services Program.
Current Narrative:
MVR developed the strategies below to overcome identified barriers relating to equitable access to and participation of individuals with disabilities in the state VR program and the state supported employment services program.
MVR employs a diversity consultant to assist with improving services to underserved populations, developing training programs, and establishing outreach strategies for individuals from diverse cultures. The consultant presents diversity training sessions for all MVR office staff and during new counselor training. The consultant also leads the Cultural Diversity Team comprised of VR management and district office staff. This team is dedicated to acknowledging diversity barriers and developing training to address these issues. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team, a subcommittee of the MVR Diversity Team, is developing a diversity and inclusion recruitment plan for the agency. Civility training is another strategy utilized to overcome these barriers as well as staff training opportunities on cultural competency that cover aspects of diversity.
To address barriers to services for students with disabilities involved in the justice and foster care systems, along with homeless and housing in-secure youths, MVR created pilot projects to provide peer mentoring. These individuals have been identified as underserved populations.
MVR developed Employment Services Plus to assist individuals with autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain injury or deafness/hearing loss who require additional supports to reach successful outcomes.
MVR works with DMH-DD and community rehabilitation programs to provide a customized employment pilot program for individuals who have not been able to achieve or maintain competitive, integrated employment. Some of the individuals in the program have encountered barriers to traditional VR services. The pilot promotes the specific abilities of the individual and identifies effective strategies to meet employer needs.