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:
__________
[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
Describe the designated State agency's procedures and activities to establish and maintain a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professional and paraprofessional personnel for the designated State unit, including the following:
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- B. Personnel Development
Describe the development and maintenance of a system for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on personnel development with respect to:
- B. Personnel Development
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 1. B. ii. The number of students enrolled at each of those institutions, broken down by type of program; and
Current Narrative:
Program Data for Institutions of Higher Education
The following table illustrates information from Florida institutions of higher education that prepare vocational rehabilitation professionals categorized by the name of the institution and type of program for 2020 and 2021. FDBS is unable to obtain this information for all of the universities listed.
| Institution, Program Type and Degree | Number of Students Enrolled | VR/RSA Sponsored Employees | VR/RSA Sponsored Graduates | Previous Year Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic University Graduate-level Rehabilitation Training Program; MEd and PhD | MEd- 44 PhD- 1 | MEd- 4 PhD- 0 | MEd- 26 PhD- 0 | MEd- 42 PhD- 1 |
| Florida International University Rehabilitation Counseling Program; MS in Counselor Education | MS- 15 | MS- 3 | MS- 3 | MS- 5 |
FDBS acknowledges that there are many graduate-level counseling-related majors at public state universities that qualify graduates for certification as rehabilitation counselors.
In 2019, FDBS began an initiative for senior rehabilitation specialists, and other FDBS team members to become Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWIC). Such certification is instrumental for increasing our team’s knowledge of social security benefits and the effects employment has on such benefits. There is a competitive selection process for participation in these trainings and applicants must successfully complete an introductory course. The program selected five out of 15 counselors who applied for the training and two successfully completed the program.
All Florida state employees may take up to six credit hours per semester using the Florida Tuition Waiver Program. FDBS expects employees who do not meet CSPD requirements to take advantage of the state’s tuition waiver program or participate in federal grant/stipend programs. When necessary, the FDBS may pay for tuition, e.g., when a state university is not within driving distance, when a staff member is unable to use the tuition waiver for any required courses, etc.