Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
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
- 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. State's Strategies
o. 3. The outreach procedures that will be used to identify and serve individuals with disabilities who are minorities, including those with the most significant disabilities, as well as those who have been unserved or underserved by the VR program
Current Narrative:
As for the outreach procedure to identify and serve persons with disabilities that are a minority, they do not apply to Puerto Rico. The Island is considered a Hispanic or Latino country, with a population of 3, 337,177 (Source: US Census Bureau, Census Estimated for 2017). Of this total, 99.03% is of Hispanic or Latino origin. Therefore, the VRA considers that it does not have the need to implement any type of procedure to identify persons with disabilities that are a minority.
The VRA has Community Liaison Units, attached to the Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling Service Centers, operating in the six (6) regions. These units have a staff that maintains contact with various sources of referral such as: schools, hospitals, institutions specialized in providing services to the population with disabilities, and public / private agencies. These personnel participate in activities (guidance on vocational rehabilitation services, job fairs, among others) with the purpose of expanding the dissemination of services and increasing the inclusion of people with more significant disabilities.
The Agency also remains active and participates in the bills that are developed in the legislature, related to people with disabilities.