U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

2 Year Modification

Plan: Florida PYs 2022-2023 (Mod)
Unified Plan U

Section: Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Blind)

Narrative: o. 1.

Published
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

    • 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. 1. The methods to be used to expand and improve services to individuals with disabilities

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2020-2023

Current Narrative:

(o) State’sStrategies

FDBS continually seeks to improve the quality of services to individuals with disabilities. The Quality Assurance Team reviews case forms submitted from the district level on a monthly basis. The team uses data from these forms to identify areas that need improvement and develop methods to address any deficiencies. The team meets with the IT section to determine if the Aware case management system requires changes to meet the needs of revised processes born from data analysis/evaluation. The IT section provides ongoing enhancements to the Aware case management system for a thorough evaluation of performance to identify methods that improve service delivery/program outcomes. The following strategies will assist FDBS in meeting the challenge of expanding/improving services to youth and all populations and enhancing their involvement in the rehabilitation process.

  • Coordinate and secure high-quality training, education, work experiences, and partnerships that create opportunities for blind and visually impaired Floridians to obtain and maintain independence, post-secondary education credentials and successful employment outcomes.
  • Create a comprehensive service delivery system that fosters accessibility and provides positive experiences for blind and visually impaired Floridians enabling them to matriculate from school/training to work.
  • Assist blind and visually impaired Floridians with obtaining, maintaining, and advancing in competitive integrated employment.
  • Create an accountable and exemplary division workforce that ensures high-quality services.

FDBS finalized a license agreement with Vispero to provide access to assistive technology (AT) in 2019. This agreement makes the FDBS the first in the nation to provide statewide access to AT. The license allows FDBS to supply clients and workforce partners with JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion. FDBS strengthened its relationship with the Lighthouses to ensure appropriate and client-specific AT is consistent with the needs of all clients. The counselors must reflect the type and need for AT in the Individualized Plan for Employment. FDBS also coordinates training with FAAST by referring clients to FAAST for AT as necessary. The FAAST demonstrates, trains, and temporarily loans equipment for clients to test.

FDBS plans to create comprehensive communication and outreach plans in coordination with existing outreach efforts already operational within the Department of Education. The plan will include educating the public, clients, and current/potential FDBS Business Enterprise Program vendors via media advertisements, social media platforms, public service announcements, conferences and trade shows. As part of both plans, FDBS will develop targeted marketing strategies based on the CSNA data for unserved/underserved populations.

FDBS plans to increase participation in apprenticeships by working with businesses and employers to encourage sponsorship of registered apprenticeship programs, and marketing programs to youth/adults seeking vocational training experiences to increase on-the-job training opportunities. A credentialed apprenticeship program is under development. FDBS’s sponsored apprenticeship will lead to an industry certification for a Web Accessibility Specialist. The goal is to select three current clients to participate in this program in the initial implementation.

Another strategy FDBS expects to improve and expand services for students with disabilities is the creation and implementation of an Employment Skills Training Program at the Rehabilitation Center. The Rehabilitation Center provides employment training under the Pre-Employment Program (PEP) and Energize for Employment (EEP) programs. The PEP focuses on preparing clients for the workforce by training clients on interviewing, completing applications, professional presentation, etc. The EEP provides refreshers on skills obtained during the PEP.

FDBS conducts desk and on-site monitoring of CRPs. As part of strategic planning, FDBS will improve upon this by strengthening the monitoring plan, analyzing monthly compliance reports, establishing baselines for risk assessments, and hosting annual roundtables with CRPs. FDBS enhanced its monitoring process by revising onsite auditing procedures/protocols that reflect the new contract requirements. Contract managers receive monthly reports from CRPs that demonstrate program success and progress toward meeting deliverables. The contracts team aims to monitor all service providers (CRPs) annually. With vacancies, staff turnover, and changes in management, this is not always possible. At the beginning of the pandemic, Division and CRP leadership created a COVID-19 Response Team and instituted a monthly meeting of all members. 

FDBS uses the Aware case management system to collect and track data on performance accountability measures, including the MSGs. The FDBS automated the process of uploading Aware case management system job-ready client data to the DVR Ability Works Job Portal; thus, enabling the upload into the TAP. Various employers throughout the state use TAP to search for qualified applicants. Employment Placement Specialists and VR counselors assist clients in uploading their resumes to TAP to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to the state workforce system. This process should increase the exposure of job-ready clients to potential employers.

The strategic plan defines the strategies/activities designed to affect performance outcomes and help other components of the workforce development system in assisting individuals with disabilities. The Statewide Business Consultant and Employment Placement Specialist seek businesses/employers daily that have vacancies and need people to fill their positions. FDBS’s goal is to collaborate with as many businesses representing various arenas of the workforce to increase employment opportunities for clients.

The vision of House Bill (HB) 1507 aims to create a more unified workforce education and economic development system to improve Floridian’s lives. It seeks increased collaboration and cooperation among state business and education communities and aims to address fundamental gaps in access to quality training. FDBS will work with workforce partners to:

  • Develop an integrated data system;
  • Expand workforce training across sectors; and
  • Enhance workforce services by helping job seekers access information about in-demand occupations.

FDBS developed its strategic plan to address barriers, gaps in services, quality assurance issues, and client feedback identified by the CSNA. The strategies from this plan serve as a roadmap to guide FDBS in achieving its goals and priorities and realizing our vision to create a barrier-free environment for individuals with visual disabilities.

FDBS will continue to use funds that support innovation and expansion to sustain activities of the Florida Rehabilitation Council for the Blind. This includes sponsoring travel and administrative costs, meeting space, advertisement, interpreters and client satisfaction surveys. 

The CSNA identified several barriers faced by individuals with disabilities, specifically those served by FDBS. Among recurring themes were barriers related to underserved target populations, access to AT, and fear of losing social security benefits. The strategic plan addresses each of these barriers.  Specifically, activities include developing communications and outreach plans to reach unserved/underserved populations and to educate the public about services offered by FDBS. In 2019, FDBS entered into an agreement with Vispero for approximately 2,500 licenses to provide access to AT for individuals with vision impairments and workforce partners. Five senior rehabilitation specialists participated in a social security training in hopes of becoming certified as CWIC. This training provides detailed information regarding 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. Out of the 15 counselors who applied for the training, the organization selected five.