Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
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
f. Arrangements and Cooperative Agreements for the Provision of Supported Employment Services
Describe the designated State agency’s efforts to identify and make arrangements, including entering into cooperative agreements, with other State agencies and other appropriate entities in order to provide supported employment services and extended employment services, as applicable, to individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth with the most significant disabilities.
Current Narrative:
(f) Cooperative Agreements for the Provision of Supported Employment Services
The FDBS has a contractual agreement with the Conklin Davis Center for the Blind (Conklin) to identify and provide services for individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth. Conklin provides comprehensive residential and community-based supported employment services. Services include individualized training for blind and severely visually impaired persons with one or more secondary disabilities, including youth with the most significant disabilities. Conklin focuses on training in areas aimed to assist participants in obtaining employment in competitive, integrated settings and provides supportive employment services to maintain employment. Services under this contractual agreement also include on-site community-based services. These services consist of training concentrated on activities associated with daily living, money management, self-advocacy, assistive technology, orientation and mobility, and communication skills.
Local CRPs also provide supported employment services as part of their FDBS vocational rehabilitation contract.
Supported employment services entail job readiness training, job coaching, job development, on-the-job skills training and job placement. Additionally, services may include follow-up services with employers; individual advocacy, such as facilitating positive relationships with co-workers and supervisors; assisting with transportation; discrete post-employment services, such as job station redesign; and repair/maintenance of assistive technology.
FDBS entered into an interagency cooperative agreement with other state agencies and organizations to implement Employment First - a national effort to ensure employers offer individuals with disabilities employment on a preferred basis. Employment First is consistent with the FDBS belief that individuals with disabilities, even the most significant disabilities, can achieve meaningful employment when provided with appropriate supports. The following table lists the names of all parties of this agreement.
| Agencies for Persons with Disabilities | CareerSource Florida |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Exceptional Education & Student Services | Department of Children and Families |
| Division of Blind Services | Florida Developmental Disabilities Council |
| Division of Vocational Rehabilitation | Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities |
| Department of Economic Opportunity | The Arc of Florida |