Vocational Rehabilitation

This presentation was delivered as a Plenary Panel Address at the 2016 State of the Art Conference for Inclusive Higher Education, featuring Barry Whaley (University of Kentucky), Ed James & D'Arcy Robb (Georgia VR Agency), Jordan Knab (University of South Florida-St. Petersburg), and Dana Baccanti (PA Department of Labor & Industry). Each presenter shared information from his or her state about the role of VR in inclusive higher education programs and addressed topics such as funding streams, interagency collaboration, building capacity, and more. 

This RRTC Practice Brief shares examples that illustrate ways in which Vocational Rehabilitation is collaborating with and supporting inclusive postsecondary education programs.  Details from six states (Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Pennsylvania) are provided.  

This Think College Fast Fact describes the primary findings of a recent study that examined State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies’ engagement with students with disabilities to support postsecondary education.

This Think College Fast Fact focuses on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 which is the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. WIOA funds and supports state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. It has enhanced supports for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who wish to access postsecondary education, find a job, and develop a career.

In this study a secondary data analysis was conducted using the Rehabilitation Services Administration's 911 dataset. The findings provide an update on the role of Vocational Rehabilitation in promoting participation in postsecondary education for individuals with intellectual disabilities, by providing data that focuses on youth with intellectual disabilities in comparison with youth with other disabilities, and by highlighting differences across states nationwide (i.e., postsecondary education status upon exiting the VR system).

Project UNITE emerged out of the partnership between the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD) and the CarolinaLIFE program. This partnership has been extremely strong; however, both entities believe that this collaboration could be strengthened by formalizing and outlining roles and activities of these critical partners as student transition into independent living environments.

Rehabilitation counselors are critical service providers for young adults with disabilities transitioning from high school to adult environments. However, the investigation of whether rehabilitation counselors in the state–federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program are providing maximum services deserves more attention. Current literature suggests that there have been high levels of variability in how counselors in the state VR system are providing services to transition-age youth.

Think College Insight Brief #22 describes how Kentucky postsecondary programs are working with vocational rehabilitation (VR) to provide employment opportunities to students with ID who are participating in postsecondary programs. The partnership between state VR and IHEs is considered crucial to enhancing life opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities in Kentucky.