Narrative: b. 1. B.

BESB VR’s 2023 CSNA conducted an analysis of VR services to individuals with disabilities who are minorities and individuals with disabilities who have been unserved or underserved by the VR program. A summary of the results and a list of identified needs are as follows:

“A snapshot of the 2022 ACS Census Estimates reveals that Connecticut residents can be identified according to the following groups: 78.4% White, 12.9% Black or African-American, 5.2% Asian, .7% American Indian or Native Alaskan, and 2.7% other/multi-racial. As noted previously, the American Indian/Native Alaskan population has the highest prevalence of visual disability in the state (5.3% vs. the average of 2.2%). Thus, one might expect the VR consumers served during the most recent program years (PY 2022 and PY 2023) to include an overrepresentation of individuals from that group. However, while American Indian/Native Alaskan residents make up 0.7% of the state population, they represent only 0.3% of those who were served in the VR Program during PY 2023 (and 0.2% in PY 2022).

A similar divergence from expectations exists for representation of those with Hispanic ethnicity. The prevalence of visual disability among Hispanics is 3.3%, higher than the state average of 2.2%. While the VR program could expect to see Hispanic representation at a rate higher than that in the general population of Connecticut (18.2%), the percentage of Hispanics who were served in the VR program in PY23 (18.5%) is, in fact, very similar to that of the overall population in the state. The percentage of Hispanics served in PY22 was even lower at 17.5%.”

A list of the results of the identified needs are as follows:

• Improve consumer access to assistive technology, technology training, and transportation.
• Broaden the accessibility of BESB materials to those who speak languages other than English.
• Offer services in languages other than English.
• Tailor services to address the unique challenges that minority consumers may face.
• Increase targeted outreach to the unserved.
• Reduce the cost of essential equipment for consumers.
• Hire counselors that represent a wider range of demographic backgrounds.

BESB’s Vocational Rehabilitation program appears to be on par at engaging Connecticut’s visually impaired minority community. Overall, Bureau clientele enrolled in the VR program who self-identify their ethnicity reasonably reflect both the state and national minority population. Sub-groups are similarly represented. For PY 2022, BESB reported the following VR program enrollment: 25.0% African American, 20.2% Hispanic/Latino, 2.6% Asian, less than 1% Native American/Pacific Islander, and 2.2% Multi-Racial/Other.

Individuals from underserved populations are tracked in VR to ensure that they are engaged in services and fully understand the scope of available services that can be provided. Before any individual from a traditionally underserved population is closed from BESB VR with an unsuccessful outcome, a supervisory review process is required. The VR Supervisor confirms that the individual was provided with information in his or her preferred language and accessible format. Additionally, the Supervisor reviews the case record of services to confirm documentation is present, substantiating that the individual was afforded the opportunity to make informed decisions regarding participation in VR services.

BESB VR employs a Counselor who is bicultural and is fluent in Spanish. BESB VR also employs four Counselors who are African American, two of the Counselors are covering a regional caseload and the other two cover a Transition caseload. These five staff are available to provide outreach to community-based organizations that can offer linkages to traditionally underserved communities.

Outreach to Hispanic organizations continues to be a goal of the program. A new Bilingual/Bicultural Counselor was hired recently who will be doing more outreach on a statewide basis with Hispanic organizations. Currently we have a Counselor who has a seat at the table of the Hispanic Council, which covers Fairfield County in CT.

As mentioned above, all of the VR Counselors have a program outreach goal incorporated into their work activities. The individualized relationships the Counselors have established thus far with the community-based organizations have strengthened the outreach activities in the local communities, but this was expanded to ensure a wider reach across the entire state. The decline in new referrals to BESB VR further suggests that more outreach activity is necessary to ensure that organizations and individuals are made aware of the services that BESB VR can offer.