State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies Research Articles

Vocational rehabilitation service delivery: Technical assistance needs of vocational rehabilitation professionals

BACKGROUND: Americans with disabilities have historically faced substantial barriers to employment participation. The state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program has played an important role in increasing the employment opportunities of Americans with disabilities through the provision of services and supports designed to lead to high-quality employment, independence, self-sufficiency, and full integration into the community. OBJECTIVE: The Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC–QE) was designed to bring together the broad range of existing quality employment strategies and supporting practices, identify and implement new ones, and incorporate them into an integrated training and technical assistance plan, consistent with the circumstances and priorities of each State VR agency that requests technical assistance. METHOD: In the present paper, we present the results of a needs assessment survey conducted among State VR rehabilitation counselors and professionals in cooperating rehabilitation agencies and services. RESULTS: The purpose of the present study was to determine technical assistance and training needs of State VR counselors in four practice domains: (a) outreach services, (b) pre-employment transition services, (c) vocational rehabilitation services, and (d) employment services. CONCLUSION: Implications and future directions are also discussed.

Use of Customized Employment in State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: A Retrospective Study 2017–2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of customized employment via an analysis using the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) from Federal Fiscal Years of 2017 through 2020. The independent variables were demographics, barriers to employment, and types of state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) services, and the dependent variables were competitive integrated employment status and weekly earnings at exit. Descriptive analyses, multiple logistic regression, and hierarchical multiple regression comprised data analysis. The study sample ( N = 2,280) was 57.9% male and 42.1% female and had a mean age of 32.69 years ( SD = 12.83). Seventy-seven percent identified themselves as White and 46.7% had a cognitive disability. The results of this study indicated that consumers who have cognitive disability and cultural barriers; are migrant farmworkers and/or dependents; and receive job placement assistance, short-term job supports, maintenance services, benefits counseling, and supported employment are more likely to get competitive integrated employment at exit ( R2 = .34). Multiple variables were found to be significantly related to weekly earnings at exit and explained 24% of the variance. Rehabilitation counselors should take into consideration the findings of this study to determine from which supports consumers may benefit to attain successful employment goals, particularly for customized employment.

Identifying vocational rehabilitation outreach and service training priorities: A national survey from diverse perspectives

BACKGROUND: This article summarizes the results of a needs assessment survey project presented at the 2021 National APSE Virtual Conference. This research was conducted by the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE), a Technical Assistance Center funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the survey was to determine technical assistance and training needs of state VR counselors in four practice domains: (a) outreach services, (b) pre-employment transition services, (c) vocational rehabilitation services, and (d) employment services. METHODS: A national survey was conducted among 229 state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) professionals, including directors, staff, and VR counselors, and 92 professionals in community-based rehabilitation agencies (CBRA), allowing a comparison of the relative importance ratings of the two groups. RESULTS: The ratings of both SVRA and CBRA professionals were generally aligned, but with some significant differences, as discussed in more detail in Tansey et al. (in press). CONCLUSIONS: The priorities identified through this survey will support the development and implementation of technical assistance activities that are responsive to the needs of SVRA professionals providing vocational rehabilitation to persons with disabilities and increasing the capacity of these agencies to promote quality employment outcomes.

Effects of an Abbreviated and Adapted PEERS® Curriculum as Part of a College Transition Program for Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum

College students on the autism spectrum report the following support needs: interpersonal skills and coping with unexpected change. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of an interpersonal skills seminar using elements of the PEERS® curriculum on the acquisition of conversational behaviors by three young adults on the autism spectrum who were attending a summer college transition program designed to help prepare and familiarize individuals with college living. A multiple probe across behaviors design was used. According to visual analysis, a functional relation was not established between participation and acquisition of foundational conversational skills. Our findings provide a model for how state vocational rehabilitation agencies and institutes of higher education can collaborate to provide effective support for college students with autism spectrum disorder.

Work-Related Interview Skills Training for Persons Served by Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies in Four States

PURPOSEThis study explored the acceptability and practicality of implementing a Direct Skills Teaching (DST) approach to increase job interview preparation for individuals who were receiving state vocational rehabilitation (VR) services in four states.METHODCounselors-in-training facilitated a four-session curriculum teaching “Presenting Qualifications” during job interviews to 137 individuals in 25 groups settings. Pre- and post-group 10-item questionnaires of skill acquisition, and a post-group satisfaction survey with open-ended questions were administered. Descriptive statistics and a nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for data analyses.RESULTSAll 10 items of the pre- and post-group questionnaire comparisons yielded significant improvement in the skill of “Presenting Qualifications” after group intervention. The satisfaction survey also indicated the positive experiences of participants.CONCLUSIONSThe findings demonstrate the feasibility of a structured DST curriculum in teaching job interview skills to people with disabilities (including transition age youth) served by state VR agencies.

Asian Americans’ Perceived Knowledge of State Vocational Rehabilitation Services for People With Mental Illness

Given the significant role of employment on independent living and well-being among individuals with disabilities, such as those with mental illness, it is important to examine the experiences of racially and ethnically diverse cultural groups, including Asian Americans. However, little research has focused on Asian Americans with disabilities in the rehabilitation counseling field. This study examined knowledge of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and the perceived importance and likeliness of receiving VR services in a sample of 315 Asian Americans. Survey questions were developed to ask participants’ perceived importance of receiving various VR services provided within state VR agencies and the likeliness of receiving or recommending each service if they or their family members had a mental illness. The results showed that most participants were not familiar with state VR services. Although slightly different patterns were identified in the participants’ importance and likeliness ratings, the top important and preferable service was diagnosis and treatment. The information gathered in this study has important implications for crafting culturally sensitive and effective outreach and marketing strategies in Asian American communities.

Effects of work experiences on the post-school employment outcomes of youth with disabilities: A study of one state vocational rehabilitation agency’s transition program

BACKGROUND: The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services provided eight years’ worth of de-identified data on transition-aged clients to be examined in this study. OBJECTIVE: This study presents information on the predictive impact of work experiences, age at time of application for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and priority group category of eligibility on successful VR case closure (i.e., achievement of competitive integrated employment). METHODS: Using logistic regression, the extant data were analyzed (consisting of 8,966 participants). RESULTS: Results indicated age, priority group category, gender and racial identification were each statistically significant predictors of achieving a successful VR case closure. Work experience as a predictor was not found to predict outcomes. Among work experiences, Project SEARCH was the only work experience to significantly predict successful employment outcomes. Individuals achieving higher rates of competitive integrated employment tended to be in the less severe priority category of eligibility, older, and those who identified as male and who identified as White. CONCLUSIONS: Findings inform special education and VR in considering the possible factors behind the results, examining data further, and potentially changing existing programs, policies, and practices or creating new ones to increase the employment outcomes of transition age clients.

Therapeutic alliance in vocational rehabilitation counseling: Assessing client factors and functioning

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic relationship is often acknowledged as one of the most significant factors in clinical process that influences client outcomes. OBJECTIVE: While considerable research has been conducted on the therapeutic relationship in psychotherapy, there is a paucity of research on the impact of the therapeutic relationship in vocational rehabilitation counseling settings. METHODS: This study explored the relationship between areas of client functioning (individual, interpersonal, social, and overall) and the therapeutic alliance among clients who receive services from the State vocational rehabilitation agency. RESULTS: In this study, younger clients (ages between 16 to 29) reported stronger therapeutic alliance. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggested that clients’ perceived individual, interpersonal and overall functioning have a significant positive relationship with the task and bond components of therapeutic relationship.

The Importance of Building Capacity for Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance Within Vocational Rehabilitation

Current legislation requires enhanced accountability in data collection and reporting across federal initiatives, including the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center on Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance (PEQA-TAC), funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the U.S. Department of Education, assisted state VR agencies by building their capacity to carry out high-quality program evaluation and quality assurance practices aligned with contemporary performance management expectations. This paper highlights the need for formal in-service training in this specialized area, shares an overview of the program model involving online coursework and capstone projects, and discusses recommendations for further enhancing state VR capacity in this area.

Case Service Reporting: Meeting Guidelines for WIOA and Supporting Documentation

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) of 2014 further amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prompting numerous changes for agencies receiving federal funding. The overall goal of the legislation was to strengthen and improve the workforce development system, including employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Implementation of these changes is monitored through common performance measures, which provide standards for each agency operating within the WIOA authority. The Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (IN DDRS), a state vocational rehabilitation agency funded under WIOA, has implemented these changes. This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of IN DDRS’s data system, training, and business process changes specific to the new WIOA requirements. Furthermore, the study provided survey response feedback from Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) on the processes in place, training provided, and the impact of the WIOA changes on their daily job duties and provided suggestions to improve performance measures processes within the state.

Identifying Racial Differences in Vocational Rehabilitation Services

The literature on racial differences in vocational rehabilitation (VR) services has not been updated for over a decade. Using the 2017 individual-level U.S. national RSA-911 data, supplemented with the 2017 American Community Survey and publicly available information from the Kaiser Family Foundation, we investigated racial differences at each step of the VR process—application, eligibility, service provision, and employment outcomes at closure. At the first step, application, White individuals with disabilities were less likely to apply than their African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic counterparts, and more likely to apply than their Asian counterparts. For the remaining three steps, the results were inverted: the White subgroup had higher eligibility rates, service rates, and employment rates than the African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic subgroups, and lower rates than the Asian subgroup. These findings suggest that racial and ethnic differences continue to exist in the VR process despite several legislative acts and policy efforts. Within each racial and ethnic minority group, we also found large variation in application rates and employment rates across states, which indicates a need for developing performance measures and standardized guidelines for state VR agencies to better serve individuals with disabilities from racial and ethnic minorities.

Pre-Employment Transition Services: What Secondary Special Education Teachers Need to Know

In July 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law, amending the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 and establishing new workforce initiatives for state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. The passage of WIOA led to the expansion of VR services, including the requirement to provide pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to eligible and potentially eligible students with disabilities to support their transition from school to postsecondary employment and education. Pre-ETS afford students with disabilities an early start at job exploration, maximizing their potential to enter competitive integrated employment. It is imperative for secondary special education teachers to inform students and their families of the availability of Pre-ETS. To do this, school personnel must first be knowledgeable about Pre-ETS themselves. This column provides secondary special education teachers with a general understanding of Pre-ETS and furnishes them with strategies for securing these services on behalf of students with disabilities.

Implementation of Pre–Employment Transition Services: A Content Analysis of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Plans

Many youth with disabilities experience persistently low rates of competitive integrated employment (CIE) and participation in higher education. In 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) established a policy focus on CIE as the goal of vocational services for youth and individuals with disabilities. In addition, WIOA created provision for Pre–Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to ensure that state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies focused sufficient resources toward transition-age youth. This study examined a sample of WIOA state implementation plans in depth using content analysis to identify how state VR agencies prioritized the provision of Pre-ETS services to youth with disabilities. Analysis of state plans resulted in three emergent themes: (a) instructional priorities, (b) instructional contexts, and (c) networks of stakeholders. We discuss the implications of these themes for future research, policy, and practice related to the employment of individuals with disabilities.

Assessing Workplace Culture and Disability Inclusion Climate: A Preliminary Study

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act requires state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to work closely with businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The workplace climate may determine employers' willingness to hire and retain persons with disabilities. Rehabilitation researchers are conducting research to validate assessment tools to help companies assess factors that affect their disability inclusion climate. The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity of the Workplace Culture and Disability Inclusion Questionnaire (WCDIQ), developed to assess the disability inclusion climate in a workplace and to evaluate organizational factors that contribute to disability employment and inclusive practices. A sample of 284 human resources managers and professionals who made hiring decisions participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a four-factor solution: (a) disability inclusion policies and procedures, (b) disability inclusion efforts and strategies, (c) disability inclusion preparedness, and (d) health and illness management policies and procedures. All four factors had strong internal consistency reliability and correlated with disability employment rates. The results of this study provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the WCDIQ for use by employers to evaluate their disability employment and inclusion efforts, and identify areas that need improvement. With further refinement, the WCDIQ can be used to guide the development of evidence-based disability employment and inclusion interventions to promote employment opportunity for people with disabilities.

Phase II of the SGA Project: Development of the coordinated team approach intervention

BACKGROUND: The SGA Model Demonstration tested a coordinated team approach to determine whether a combination of vocational rehabilitation practices improve earnings outcomes of clients who also receive Social Security Disability Insurance. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes Phase II of the development of the intervention. METHODS: Researchers and policy fellows conducted site visits, interviewed personnel from 8 State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and related partners, drafted a proposed intervention and submitted it for review to a Delphi panel. RESULTS: Delphi ratings supported the proposed intervention as likely leading to improved earnings outcomes and recommended that the SGA Project develop training, technical assistance, and capacity building activities to support implementation. CONCLUSION: The SGA Project invested 2 years developing an intervention by examining administrative data, consulting national experts, interviewing SVRAs directors and more than 100 practitioners across eight SVRAs. Pacing metrics were built into a team approach that included a vocational counselor, work incentives counselor, and a job development/job placement specialist with a business relations focus.

The Importance of the Cognitive Aspects of Vocational Rehabilitation for Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background:Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) face symptoms that affect them physically and cognitively; 80% of individuals diagnosed with MS are out of work within 10 years, and 58% are unemployed. It appears that a diagnosis of MS creates a barrier to individuals obtaining and maintaining work. To combat this, vocational rehabilitation (VR) has been utilized by individuals with MS but with limited success. This may be due to the lack of interventions that address cognitive symptoms that occur.Purpose:The purpose of this perspective is to review the interaction between individuals with MS and the components of VR and discuss implications that could potentially increase the success of individuals with MS obtaining work.Implications:Approximately 48.1% of clients with MS receiving services from state VR agencies obtain or retain employment compared to 60% of clients with other diagnoses. This disparity highlights a disconnect in VR services. It has been seen that individuals with MS who were employed at application were more likely to receive services that include cognitive retraining-type services. Including more opportunities for cognitive retraining-type services may decrease this disparity and help more individuals with MS maintain or obtain work.

Upskill/Backfill Model of Career Pathways Advancement: The Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation Approach

Current trends in vocational rehabilitation (VR) increasingly value career pathways and career advancement as important components for success. Simultaneously, employers and businesses have great needs for retaining and advancing incumbent workers in order to better meet their workforce demands. This article describes the Career Pathways Advancement Project (CPAP), the first state VR agency use of the upskill/backfill model for advancing former clients in specific career clusters in Nebraska VR by providing them access to additional training, certification, or specialized skills necessary to advance within that career sector. The model also provides access to entry-level jobs in the same businesses for current VR clients by “backfilling” the vacated positions left by the worker who is advancing. The upskill/backfill model appears to be an effective means for advancing former VR clients in their careers and providing substantial gains in income and employer-provided benefits. The model may require additional modifications in order to better serve new clients with backfill positions that were created by those who successfully advanced. Policy considerations for embedding this model in VR are addressed in light of evolving workplace dynamics and employer needs.

How do early process milestones vary before a state vocational rehabilitation agency expands waitlist categories under order of selection? Evidence from Florida

How do early process milestones vary before a state vocational rehabilitation agency expands waitlist categories under order of selection? Evidence from Florida

NASMHPD partnership to support employment for MH population

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Westat and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) have announced a partnership to provide practical information and specific tools to state mental health (MH) and vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs to enhance collaborations at the local and state levels in order to increase competitive, integrated employment outcomes for individuals with mental illness. The partnership extends the existing collaboration established for the Social Security Administration's Supported Employment Demonstration (SED). Over the next three years, the NASMHPD and CSAVR, working closely with the Westat IPS Center, and their respective members, will identify and disseminate strategies for and examples of successful collaborations between state MH and VR agencies partnering with businesses to meet business hiring needs in ways that produce competitive, integrated employment opportunities for individuals with mental illness. The NASMHPD and CSAVR plan to distribute to their members proven strategies and practices through a variety of methods: conference presentations, articles in their newsletters, webinars, the sharing of success stories, joint one‐on‐one calls with their members, issue briefs and access to technical assistance.

Preparing for the future: Vocational rehabilitation and research partnerships for innovation

BACKGROUND: The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) represents the chief administrators of the 78 vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies in every state, territory, and the District of Columbia. In anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the public VR program, CSAVR launched its Vision 2020 goals with an express interest in innovation. CSAVR recognizes that research is important to provide the data that VR agencies need to continually improve their outcomes and services. OBJECTIVE: The authors make a case for why researcher-VR partnerships are an important strategy for innovation and provide suggestions for strengthening those partnerships. METHODS: The authors describe CSAVR’s investment in research and provide data from a survey of state VR agencies on research participation. RESULTS: Researchers can increase state VR agency participation in their projects by involving the agency in study design, minimizing the time and resource burden on the agency, and demonstrating that the proposed research will yield products that benefit customers and improve staff competency. CONCLUSION: VR agencies are motivated to engage in research that will clearly add value and improve operations with minimal burden. It is hoped that greater agency participation in research will yield better data to guide agencies in the future.