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.
- b. Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA).
Section 101(a)(15), (17), and (23) of the Rehabilitation Act require VR agencies to provide an assessment of:
- b. Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA).
b. 1. D. Youth with disabilities, including students with disabilities and their need for pre-employment transition services. Include an assessment of the needs of individuals with disabilities for transition career services and pre-employment transition services, and the extent to which such services are coordinated with transition services provided under IDEA.
Current Narrative:
Key Findings:
Transition-aged youth (14-24) and Pre-employment transition aged students (16-21) were routinely noted as the most served (i.e., least underserved populations).
The number of actively engaged schools, the overall favorable view of Arkansas Career Development Center (ACDC) in its expanded role for this population, the success in educational support and measurable skill gain programs, and the number of clients served under the age of 24 years-of-age all point to the success of ARS in addressing the needs of youth with disabilities and students with disabilities. The positive gains and outcomes can be largely attributed to an expansion of the mission, more pressures on internal organization with coordinated budgets/ overlapping expenditures and utilizing ACDC to facilitate programming.
Despite the numerous improvements there were some noted difficulties having access to training or education programs related to the physical location of field offices or youths not being able to both travel and stay at remote training/education programs. Additionally, given the focus on job exploration there are potentially avenues for additional training and support in the field for staff related to understanding job exploration and communicating with students, parents, and youth about paths for employment and how to build student’s preferences, interests, strengths and needs.
Recommendations:
- ARS should offer more training to the field counselors and staff that specifically focuses on assisting clients in job exploration and coordinating with parents/caregivers to develop clear employment objectives. Ongoing communications with students and parents starting early can assist in determining paths for employment outcomes.
- Continue exploring online/remote programming as alternatives to traditional face-to-face programs/credentials.