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
j. 1. E. Who are youth with disabilities and students with disabilities, including, as appropriate, their need for pre-employment transition services or other transition services.
Current Narrative:
Response j.1.E:
It is challenging to derive equivalent demographic data for students or youth with a disability, as age groups used by the US Census Bureau don't align with VR expected age ranges for either category. In general terms, US Census data through the American Community Survey indicates that visual disability in Washington State is less prevalent among youth categories, and becomes more prevalent as the population ages. The American Community Survey data shows a consistent percentage in the 2020 five-year compilation of impact of visual difficulties by age group for Washington State: those ages birth to 18 represent approximately about 0.7% of the general population in the same age group. By comparison, visual disability prevalence among ages 18 - 34 represents about 1.1% of the general population, increasing to about 2.2% for those aged 35 - 64, and about 6% for ages 65 and older. Participants who are students represent about 30% of the total DSB participant base (approximately 350 students out of total 1165 participants).
While the ACS shows an estimated 12,000 youth with a visual disability, the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) documents only around 400 IEP students with a visual disability. The OSPI count does not indicate a student with a visual disability when it aggregates the category “students with multiple disabilities”; thus an accurate count can’t be obtained from the state’s IEP data. As well, the OSPI does not document the number of students with an accommodation 504 plan. The Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS) manages the Washington Deaf Blind Project, which lists a count of 287 Deaf Blind youth in the state under age 18.
In October 2021, the agency surveyed the state’s Teachers of the Visually Impaired regarding DSB’s youth service needs. Of the 27 professionals who responded, 37% had been in the role less than 5 years, and 73% in the role for more than five years. Twenty-four TVI’s had connected their students with DSB Youth Services activities. They listed the needs for DSB services for the students they work with to include:
- Support for families
- Use of technology
- Managing social media and tools for deciphering media information
- Adjustment to visual disability
- Career exploration, and “as many paid work experiences as possible”
- Tools and opportunity for social interaction among peers
The top three obstacles to participation in DSB activities were:
- Transportation/distance to travel
- Child/youth doesn't have interest in workshop topics
- Busy schedules in the household
The pandemic was also listed as an obstacle to participation.
Students and Families were surveyed in October 2021 about necessary Pre-Ets services. They included:
- Technology tips – peer discussions
- Financial Awareness
- In-person and remote social/peer connection
- Information about STEM fields