Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by sections 101(a) and 606 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA.
k. Coordination with Employers
In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(11)(E) of the Rehabilitation Act, describe how the VR agency will work with employers to identify competitive integrated employment and career exploration opportunities in order to facilitate the provision of VR services; and transition services for youth and students with disabilities, including pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities.
Current Narrative:
DVR currently has a Business Relations Unit devoted to the dual customer approach of serving businesses as well as job seekers in order to effectively meet the needs of business and match them with job seekers with disabilities pursuing competitive, integrated employment opportunities. This Unit consists of a Business Relations Unit Manager, Business Outreach Services Supervisor, nine (9) Business Outreach Specialists (including one Lead) as well as a State-as-a-Model Employer (SAME) Development Specialist who is tasked with advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) best practices within Colorado State Government. This team takes the lead in cultivating DVR’s business partnerships, providing a range of services and supports ranging from recruitment assistance; information and technical assistance to business related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations, and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act; Disability Awareness Training; support of job fairs; and similar activities.
BRU staff members determine beneficial memberships at the local level to include Chambers of Commerce, Society of Human Resource Management chapters, and economic development groups. Over the past 6 years, BRU staff have aligned efforts with the Business Services team through Workforce Programs, which includes being members of both the Business and Career Services Executive Committee as well as the Business Services Leadership Team. This allows for a more streamlined experience for business partners accessing supports available through the Workforce Development System in Colorado.
DVR regularly explores opportunities to expand and improve the use of labor market information to guide individual job seekers toward competitive integrated employment within growing industries and key sectors. DVR utilizes JobsEQ, The Career Index Plus (TCI+), EMSI, O*Net, Colorado’s LMI Gateway, and other resources, while also engaging with partners across the Workforce Development System to access other available resources and coordinate efforts to facilitate these conversations. DVR counselors routinely seek opportunities for recipients of services to engage with business to support their career exploration and the development of vocational skills, including informational interviews, job shadows, work adjustment training, and work experiences, which typically occur on site with local businesses. As DVR expands customized employment, additional partnership is expected with businesses to truly understand their unmet labor needs and be able to effectively navigate and negotiate job matches for individuals receiving these services.
DVR maintains membership on the Colorado State Youth Council (SYC), which is a subcommittee of the Colorado Workforce Development Council and helps to ensure DVR’s efforts are aligned with other partners of the Workforce Development System in Colorado, while highlighting promising practices in meeting the transition needs of youth.
Rehabilitation Counselors and Business Outreach Specialists, along with SWAP and various service providers, work closely with business partners to provide work based learning experiences, job shadows, informational interviews, and work site tours for students with disabilities. However, results from DVR’s recent comprehensive statewide needs assessment survey show continued need to ensure these opportunities are consistently available across the state. DVR will examine those areas that have demonstrated success in creating work experiences to determine if there are common themes that other areas of the state can learn and use or if practices can be replicated.
In addition to work based learning experiences, job exploration counseling and workplace readiness training regularly involve partnership with business to ensure students and youth have access to necessary information to make decisions about their career path. DVR continues to explore additional opportunities to partner with employers to support the provision of transition services, including pre-employment transition services, for students and youth with disabilities.