Date: 08/19/2015

Final
Agency Structure and Best Practices Panel

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR THE BLIND

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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01:04 PM -- Agency Structure and Best Practices Panel

Each member of the panel on the discussion of agency structure and best practices for vocational rehabilitation services for the blind introduced themselves. The panel members included:


01:07 PM

Dr. Schroeder discussed the National Rehabilitation Association, what it does, and its history. Dr. Schroeder also discussed his personal experiences, which have included serving as Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Education, which is the agency that has oversight of state vocational rehabilitation programs, and directing the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, which was the designated agency to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to blind and visually impaired individuals in New Mexico.

Dr. Schroeder continued with a discussion of the different structural options that states have for providing vocational rehabilitation services. The federal Rehabilitation Act (Title 4 of the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act) requires each state to administer a vocational rehabilitation program. There are two structural options states have in order to administer vocational rehabilitation programs to the blind: a separate, designated agency or a combined state agency. The Rehabilitation Act gives states the option to have a separate, designated agency to provide vocational rehabilitation services to the blind, known as a designated state unit, and roughly half of the states do this. Under the separate structure, the agency operates as its own administrative unit and receives grant funds directly from the federal government. A general agency then provides vocational rehabilitation services to all other eligible individuals. The other option states have is to provide vocational rehabilitation services for the blind under a combined state agency which is responsible for providing vocational rehabilitation services to all eligible individuals, including the blind. This is the model that is currently exists in Colorado. In some states, these combined state agencies create a separate administrative unit, which is given administrative responsibilities for specific programs and services.

Dr. Schroeder then discussed the efficacy of these two vocational rehabilitation program structures. According to Dr. Schroeder, every nationwide study that has looked into the effectiveness of services to blind individuals has concluded that separate agencies for the blind produce significantly better outcomes for the blind. According to these studies, blind individuals who are served in separate agencies for the blind are nearly twice as likely to be self-supporting at case closure. Dr. Schroeder spoke about two potential reasons why separate agencies for the blind outperform the combined state agency structure. The first reason is that blind individuals require a variety of blindness skills training to be able to sufficiently manage their blindness, live independently, and have a successful career. This training can include how to cook, manage laundry, travel independently, read braille, and gain skills related to a specific job or occupation, including having access to and learning how to use assistive technologies. This training is typically more involved for blind individuals, is not typically covered by health insurance, and is typically more available in a separate agency from staff with these particular skills. Dr. Schroeder stated that a second, more intangible reason, for the higher performance of separate state agencies for the blind typically have higher expectations for their blind clients. Staff at these agencies are trained to understand what is realistic for blind individuals and they know a wider range of potential occupations that might be a good fit. Blind people tend to have a greater chance to pursue their own individual interests and explore their real abilities in separate agencies. Dr. Schroeder continued with an example from the state of Iowa, which has a separate state agency for the blind and has a mission of helping to move blind individuals into jobs that are the best fit for the individual, even if they are non-traditional types of employment.

Dr. Schroeder also discussed his experience from his time directing the New Mexico Commission for the Blind. In 1986, the New Mexico legislature created a separate vocational rehabilitation agency for the blind after years of poor outcomes for the blind, including low job placement, low earnings, and high placement in non-wage earning/"homemaker" positions. Because a high proportion of blind individuals receive federal disability benefits, either supplemental security income or social security disability insurance, New Mexico was able to control costs of the new agency from federal reimbursements received when persons get off of Social Security disability benefits. Under Social security rules, if a state helps an individual go off of Social Security benefits because of work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will reimburse the state for the full cost of that individual's vocational rehabilitation. With the better outcomes for the blind being produced by the new state agency, New Mexico was able to increase its Social Security reimbursements, thereby offsetting the increased costs of the new agency. Dr. Schroeder continued discussing the successes of the New Mexico system.


01:23 PM

Dr. Schroeder responded to questions from the committee outlining that in order to change the combined structure of vocational rehabilitation services currently in place in Colorado, the General Assembly would have to pass legislation designating a separate state agency to provide vocational rehabilitation services for the blind to be consistent with requirements from the federal Rehabilitation Act.

Dr. Schroeder also responded to committee questions regarding initiatives the SSA has regarding promoting returning to work, but the SSA does not currently offer direct subsidies or other incentives to employers for hiring blind employees. Dr. Schroeder spoke about what the New Mexico agency did to fund on-the-job training, at no cost to the employer, to help the potential employee learn the necessary skills and gain real job experience, and also convince the employer to give blind individuals an opportunity, believe the blind individual is competitive, and that they can do the job effectively. The New Mexico agency also funded on-the-job training for high school students in the transition program during the summer, 75 percent of whom ended up being offered permanent jobs from this experience. Dr. Schroeder continued to respond to questions from the committee regarding his experience in other states and also spoke further about the costs and benefits of a separate state agency for the blind and his experience in New Mexico.


01:31 PM

Ms. Julie Deden discussed her experience having been blind since birth, attending public school, and being a teenager when she was first contacted by a vocational rehabilitation counselor at the age of 16. Ms. Deden spoke about how the vocational rehabilitation counselor helped her understand what she needed in order to be successful in college, including how the vocational rehabilitation program would pay for readers to access books and handouts, provide orientation and mobility services, and offer any other services needed to be successful.

Ms. Deden continued with a discussion of her experience previously working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the blind in Colorado. In 1984 in Colorado there was a separate division dedicated to providing vocational rehabilitation services for the deaf and blind. Ms. Deden explained how at that time, all supervisors and counselors received extensive training and knowledge related to the deaf and blind, which was especially important during the initial intake assessment phase of service delivery. Ms. Deden continued with a discussion of several case studies that showed the kinds of expertise rehabilitation counselors for the blind must possess in order to be effective.

Ms. Deden spoke about this history of vocational rehabilitation services for the blind in Colorado. In 1984, there were four counselors dedicated to blindness (and four counselors dedicated to deafness) in the Denver metro office who served over 500 blind clients each year. There were six additional counselors across the state with dedicated blind caseloads. Counselors would meet three to four times per year for training and to share resources. Ms. Deden explained how this is very different from how the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation works in Colorado today. Ms. Deden discussed how different the rehabilitation process is for someone who is blind compared to individuals with other disabilities, and therefore how important it is that rehabilitation counselors receive training specific to blindness.


01:46 PM

Ms. Deden responded to questions from the committee regarding other staff members who work with the blind, in addition to the dedicated rehabilitation counselors. Ms. Deden also responded to committee questions regarding the educational programs that are available from universities for students who are interested in becoming rehabilitation counselors. Ms. Deden explained the importance of providing counselors with specific training related to providing blind services since this specific education is not often provided through university programs. With the current system in place in Colorado where counselors have a mixed caseload and very few clients in a given counselor's caseload are blind, the counselor does not have the time to engage in the necessary blind-specific training. Ms. Deden spoke about how the Nebraska Commission for the Blind provides all new counselors with in-depth training through a training center upon hiring that is focused on services for the blind.


01:53 PM

Ms. Diane McGeorge spoke about her history and experience with working with vocational rehabilitation counselors who were trained to work specifically with the blind during the time when there were separate, identifiable services for the blind in Colorado. Ms. McGeorge also spoke about the experiences of her husband when he lost his eyesight as a teenager and his experience working with rehabilitation counselors. Ms. McGeorge continued discussing the importance of having rehabilitation counselors with a caseload dedicated to the blind. Ms. McGeorge spoke about the changes she saw in the Colorado vocational rehabilitation services provided to the blind, including an increase in low expectations for the blind and an increase in placement of the blind into non- or low-wage earning positions.

Ms. McGeorge discussed her experience helping to organize the Colorado Center for the Blind, started in 1988, and about the graduates from the center. Ms. McGeorge also spoke about the importance of technology in being successful today. Ms. McGeorge reiterated that her experience has been that a separate identifiable agency that is dedicated to providing vocational rehabilitation services to the blind, with a separate, identifiable budget, has been the most successful, as opposed to the current situation with services for the blind being combined within the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.


02:10 PM

The panel members responded to questions from the committee about the ideal caseload for rehabilitation counselors for the blind. Ms. McGeorge also explained that the Colorado Center for the Blind is part of the National Federation for the Blind, but does not receive funding from them, and that individuals do not have to be a member of the National Federation for the Blind to be a client at the center. Ms. McGeorge and Ms. Deden also expressed the Colorado Center for the Blind's support for the National Federation for the Blind resolution expressing concerns with the current system in Colorado of providing vocation rehabilitation services to the blind.