What Is the Vocational Rehabilitation Program?1

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CONTENTS

1. What is the Vocational Rehabilitation Program?1

1. Why do we have a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at school?1

1. What does the DOE/VR Counselor do?2

1. Who besides the VR counselor can provide services?2

1. Who can receive VR services?3

1. How does the process begin?3

1. How does the teacher make a referral to VR?4

1. Referral priority chart5

1. What happens next?5

1. What services can be provided?6

1. Who do I call for information?7

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What is the Vocational Rehabilitation Program?

The Vocational Rehabilitation Program is a combination State/Federal program designed to assist people with disabilities to work. The State of Georgia funds approximately 25% of the cost of the program and the Federal Government provides the other 75%. The agency has been in existence since after World War I. The initial mission was to assist returning disabled veterans to go to work. Throughout the years since, there have been many changes in focus and the agency has moved away from a medical treatment model to more of a case management model. The types of disabilities served have changed over the years and are now inclusive of all types of disabilities as long as the individual can benefit from VR services in terms of a vocational outcome.

Vocational Rehabilitation services can only be provided to individuals who can and who are willing to work. The goal of Vocational Rehabilitation is to assist the individual with a disability to get the services or training or equipment that will allow the individual to work.

CooperativeSchool Program Partners

• CountySchool System Team
• DOL/VR Program Team
• Community Partners

*Employers

*Post-secondary schools

*Community rehabilitation programs

*Social service agencies (a partial listing)

-Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Addictive Disease

-Cherokee Focus

-TrainingCenter

-Department of Family and Children Services

-Department of Health

Why have a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at school?

Vocational Rehabilitation counselors are assigned to each county based upon theState/Federal formula that governs the number of staff assigned to each region. In the past the VR counselor often served a large general caseload from the adult population and also served some school students if time allowed. This limited availability of the VR counselor caused many students to not receive services or at best to receive limited services.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Program and the State Department of Education developed the idea of a partnership in which the DOE supplied the 25% match that would allow the drawing down of the 75% Federal money. This money would allow the funding of additional VR counselors, who could be dedicated solely to working with the school systems. The CountySchool systems can participate at 100% or join with another system with each participating 50%.

What does the DOE/VR counselor do?

The DOE/VR counselor is an employee of the Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Rehabilitation Program. The counselor works closely with the school system, the student and parents, and prospective employers to assist the student in getting skills and experiences that will allow them to go to work after school completion. The counselor is responsible for taking applications and determining eligibility for VR services. This process usually begins with seniors learning about jobs and what it takes to be successful on the job. It continues throughout students’ high school career.

Each eligible student will have an Individualized Work Plan —IWP. This IWP or “Work Plan” becomes the basis for identifying the vocational goal and which services will be provided to the student to reach this goal. This document is similar to the IEP used by the schools to set goals and objectives and to measure outcomes. The VR counselor is the case manager for the VR case and works in coordination with the school team. The counselor provides some direct services and arranges for the provision of other services.

Who are the members of the Vocational Rehabilitation Team?

The Vocational Rehabilitation program uses the team approach to providing services. This allows the Vocational Counselor to take advantage of the expertise of different team members based on the needs of each student.

The Rehabilitation Job Readiness Specialist may provide work readiness, job preparation, job coaching, one-on-one or group instruction in job seeking skills and work behavior. She may also help with on-the-job intervention.

The Rehabilitation Employment Specialist is the liaison with the employer community. The account representative may provide job market information, build relationships with local employers to identify job exploration or community work adjustment sites, and assist the team with job placement.

• The Assistive Work Technology Team may provide an assessment to determine if assistive technology would enable a student to participate in post-secondary training or perform job tasks.

• The Local Community Rehabilitation Facility may provide work evaluation, job sampling, work adjustment, and summer work exploration programs. These services are funded by the Vocational Rehabilitation program.

• The Supported Employment Provider may provide longer-term assistance in learning job skills or on-going assistance with life skills/independence. The Supported Employment Provider provides follow-up after VR case is closed for up to 3 years. The provider coordinates with VR if additional post-employment services are needed.

Who can receive VR services?

To qualify for VR services an individual must have a permanent disability. The disability must present a barrier to employment and the individual must be able to benefit from the provision of VR services. The individual must also require VR services to prepare for, engage in, retain or regain employment.

Most students who have an IEP and receive Special Education Services or who are being served under a 504 Plan would be considered to have a disability. Types of disabilities that have been served include developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, orthopedic problems, neurological problems, traumatic brain injury and mental disorders. The student must also be able to benefit in terms of employment from the provision of VR services. Some students will have a disability so severe as to limit their ability to work. The VR program can work with other adult service providers to assess the individual’s ability to benefit from Supported Employment Services. For some disabling conditions there are other specific criteria that also must be considered.

Some services also require the student to meet Financial Eligibility criteria.

How does the process begin?

The process begins when a teacher identifies a student who has a permanent disability and who the teacher thinks can and will go to work after completion of school. This can be part of the planning or discussion in the IEP or transition meeting. Many eligible students will have a Learning Disability or will be classified as OHI or MID in their IEP. They will probably express an interest in either going to post-secondary training or directly to a job when leaving high school. These students will need to be referred to the VR counselor by senior year. This allows the VR counselor to get evaluations, complete required documentation and develop the individual work plan that identifies the services Vocational Rehabilitation can provide or coordinate to assist in transition from school to work.

Other students will have more severe disabilities such as Moderate or Severe Intellectual Disability or a combination of disabling conditions. These students will usually not be able to transition directly to work or to post-secondary training. The decision to refer these students to the VR counselor should take into account the plan for the student to leave the school system. If the parents plan for the student to stay in the school system through age 21 then the student should not be referred to VR until much closer to the time the student will be leaving the school system. In many cases these individuals will be at risk of leaving the school between the ages of 18 and 21. The teacher should make the VR counselor aware of such students and plans can be made to offer services to them or to assist with connecting with other appropriate adult services such as the local MR Service Centers.

Students can also be referred by the school guidance counselor(s) if they determine that rehabilitation services may be needed to assist a student with a disability to transition from school to work.

How does the teacher make a referral to VR?

• Discuss possible referral at the IEP meeting

If the transition goals of the student are employment, referral to VR can be part of the discussion with the student and the parent at the IEP meeting.

• Explain the referral to the student

The teacher should first explain the VR program to the student to help them understand the purpose of the referral. Students are often very conscious of being labeled and may resist being referred to a counselor. The teacher can help by explaining that the purpose of the referral is to help the student get a job or get into TechSchool after leaving High School.

• Enlist support of parent(s)

If the student is interested in being referred to VR or if the teacher feels strongly that the student needs to be referred to VR, then the teacher should make contact with the parent or guardian to enlist their support. Parents often are afraid that the service will cost them something or that it is a referral because of a problem at school. The teacher is the best link with the parent to clear up any confusion. Discussion of possible referral is often included in the IEP or transition meeting. The VR program cannot provide services to students under the age of 18 without parental consent.

• Contact VR Counselor

If the parent and student are interested in VR services, the teacher should contact their DOE/VR counselor and give them the contact information using the Cooperative School Program Referral form. If there is documentation of the student’s disability such as a psychological assessment or medical information it, should be included or the VR counselor can request it from the Special Education office. Some schools have regular staffing dates to review potential referrals or in-boxes for the VR counselor. This can be decided by the counselor and school team.

Referral Priority

• Seniors
• Students who may leave school before completion without intervention
• Other students who plan to go to work and will need intensive services after leaving school

What happens next?

The VR counselor will contact the student and begin completion of an application for services. The student under 18 will be asked to take information home for the parent’s signature unless the parent wishes to come to the school to meet with the counselor and the student to discuss the program.

The counselor will then begin assembling the necessary documentation of the disability to determine eligibility. Once eligibility for services is established, the next step is a needs assessment to identify the services needed for transition.

After the needs assessment the next step is developing an Individual Work Plan with the student, and parents if the student is under 18. This plan outlines the goal and services needed to move toward the goal. It also includes review dates to see if services are on target. Service provision can begin after this point. The VR counselor will complete regular reviews of the plan and make updates or amendments as needed.

The student will continue to receive VR services as long as required to get training and to become employed, even after graduation. Follow-up continues until 90 days after the individual becomes employed.

The school staff can help make the collaboration with VR go smoothly by:

• Referring students early in the transition process
• Assist the VR counselor in locating students for appointments
• Making space available for confidential appointments
• Identifying time to discuss students and progress with the VR counselor
• Work with the VR counselor to identify a way to communicate, for example a message box or e-mail list

What services can be provided?

There are many services that can be provided to an individual who qualifies for VR services. The primary services provided most often to students in the DOE/VR project seem to cluster around the following things.

• Evaluation and assessment. The VR counselor can arrange for evaluations for students who do not know what their interests and aptitudes are. A detailed written report is provided that can often be of assistance to the teacher in working to develop the student’s strengths. One type evaluation is the 10-day work evaluation in which the student goes to a community facility to be observed in working several types of jobs over a two-week period. This can be followed by a period of work adjustment in the facility if needed.

• Counseling and Guidance Services. The VR counselor can provide the student with information and work with the student to identify possible career choices. The VR counselor can also assist the student who already has a vocational choice to examine the feasibility and the potential job market for this choice. The counselor can assist with information on post-secondary education. The counselor can provide information on applying for and getting financial assistance for attending TechnicalColleges, Colleges or Universities.

• Post-secondary Training. Post-secondary training services are also useful to the student planning on a job that requires additional training or education. The VR counselor may offer assistance with tuition, fees, books, and supplies that may not be covered by other financial aid programs such as the Hope Scholarship and the Pell Grant. There are guidelines for provision of these services.

• Other Services. Students who will not be able to transition directly to work can be offered other services through appropriate adult service providers in the community such as job coaching and supported employment, independent living services or mental health services.

Keep in mind that these are only a few of the range of services that can be offered to an eligible VR client. The services listed above are the most commonly occurring services.

Who do I call for information on VR?

The first source of information is always the DOE/VR counselor assigned to the school system. If additional information is needed, then contact the Georgia Department of Labor’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, at the office that serves your school. The Rehabilitation Unit Manager is the office supervisor who should be able to answer any VR questions.

ForsythCounty Office