[NFBF-L] FW: Introducing Florida's Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence

[jeh6 at bellsouth.net]

Good evening Florida Federationists,

 

The State of Florida  Department  of Education has disseminated several
notices today that we as blind consumers need to be aware of.  Below you
will  find both of those notices, and  I urge you to read them carefully.
If you do not have a clear understanding of what this means to blind and low
vision consumer's in our  state, I will provide a simple explanation.

 

If both agencies (Division of Blind Services "DBS" and Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation)  unified, we as blind and low vision individuals
will surely have our services reduced or not be provided.  The combination
of agencies in other states have illustrated that the blind  consumer have
been left at the bottom of the picking order when these agencies are
combined. 

 

The Florida Affiliate is in contact with our national office and we are
waiting for a directive.  We will continue to monitor these circumstances
closely.

Here is the first notice:

Dear Stakeholder,

 

As an important partner to Florida's Division of Blind Services (DBS) and
the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), I wanted to personally
share information about an important step the Florida Department of
Education is taking to strengthen coordination and enhance outcomes for
individuals with disabilities across our state.

Before I do, however, I would like to briefly introduce myself to those with
whom I have not had the opportunity to connect with yet. My name is Kelly
Rogers, and I have served over 25 years leading programs to improve outcomes
for Florida's families, including the state's early intervention program for
infants and toddlers with disabilities, programs to improve maternal and
child health outcomes, and Florida's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
to elevate workforce outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Most
recently, I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at
the U.S. Department of Education.

Today, under the leadership of Commissioner Henry Mack, the Florida
Department of Education is announcing an organizational change that will
strengthen collaboration and enhance services for Floridians with
disabilities. The DVR and DBS will now be aligned under my leadership as
Chancellor within a new organizational title known as the Division of
Employment Opportunity and Independence (DEOI). By bringing these two
Divisions together, we have an opportunity to create more seamless pathways
to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment for
individuals with disabilities while building on the strong foundation each
Division has established.

As we move forward, I want to emphasize that individuals currently receiving
services through DVR or DBS will experience no disruption as a result of
this organizational change. The new Division will preserve the specialized
services, expertise, and support currently provided through both DVR and
DBS. Division staff, counselors, subject matter experts, administrators, and
provider networks will continue serving the distinct needs of the
individuals and families who rely on these critical programs. You will
continue to work with the same experienced professionals and trusted leaders
at both the local and state level.

While I am honored to serve as Chancellor, my most important role is that of
a mother of two children, including an adult son with autism who has
benefited from services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act and the Rehabilitation Act. That experience shapes my commitment to
listening to the individuals we serve, their families, providers, employers,
and partners. In the coming months, I will travel throughout Florida to
learn from you to identify ways to reduce bureaucratic barriers, make
services easier to navigate, and improve outcomes for the individuals we
serve.

The DEOI reflects a broader commitment to reduce barriers, improve
accountability, and build a more coordinated system centered on the people
it serves. I am grateful for your partnership and look forward to working
alongside you as we continue advancing our shared mission of improving
outcomes for Floridians with disabilities.

 

Here is the notification from the Department of Education website:

Florida Announces New Chancellor and a New Division: Division of Employment
Opportunity and Independence

 

Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services will aim to create more
seamless pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful
employment for individuals with disabilities

 

today, Commissioner Mack announced that the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation (DVR) and the Division of Blind Services (DBS) will now be
supervised by one administrator, Chancellor Kelly Rogers, under a new
organizational title, the "Division of Employment Opportunity and
Independence (DEOI)". Unifying DVR and DBS will create more seamless
pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment for
people with disabilities.

 

Kelly Rogers has over 25 years leading programs to improve outcomes for
Florida's families, including the state's early intervention program for
infants and toddlers with disabilities, programs to improve maternal and
child health outcomes, and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Most
recently, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at
the U.S. Department of Education.

 

"Ending the dual bureaucracy while protecting specialized disability and
blind services is critical to the future of the Florida economy and the
individuals we aim to uplift," said Dr. Henry Mack, Commissioner of
Education. "Floridians with disabilities do not live in two separate worlds,
yet we still run two rehabilitation bureaucracies-two leadership teams, two
plans, two IT systems, two sets of offices and compliance monitoring, two
employer services teams-to do the same federally funded job. Every
counselor, every dollar, every employer relationship should be pointed at
one outcome: competitive, integrated employment for all Floridians with
disabilities seeking competitive and integrated employment."

 

Drawing on her professional experience and that of a mother of an adult son
with autism, Chancellor Rogers brings the leadership, vision,
administration, resources, reporting, and strategic planning of DVR and DBS
into a unified structure. The new division will focus on more seamless
pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment,
along with stronger connections between Floridians with disabilities and
employers seeking talented workers.

 

Both divisions already operate under the same federal Rehabilitation Act and
the same Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) Combined State Plan.
The new division head will allow the Department to preserve and strengthen
both programs' specialized services, while removing silos and barriers for
critical workforce services for Floridians with disabilities.

 

Specialized staff, counselors, subject matter experts, administrators, and
provider networks will continue serving the distinct needs of individuals
who rely on DVR and DBS services.

 

The new model demonstrates opportunities for stronger coordination,
operational efficiency, accountability, statewide consistency, and alignment
with federal performance and reporting requirements. Florida will apply
stakeholder feedback, fiscal and operational analysis, and the unique needs
of the communities served by both programs.

 

"I am honored to return home to Florida and committed to ensuring that
Floridians with disabilities receive high-quality, fiscally responsible and
individualized services that lead to meaningful employment and
independence," said Chancellor Kelly Rogers. "By leading both DVR and DBS,
we will establish a seamless system with one mission: strengthen Florida's
economy with the many skills and talents individuals with disabilities bring
to the workforce system." 

 

In the coming months, the Commissioner and Chancellor will listen to
feedback from individuals with disabilities, families, staff, providers,
employers, advocates, partners, educators, and community organizations. The
feedback received will help shape the establishment and implementation of
the Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence.

 

Fast Facts:

.          DVR served 45,727 jobseekers in 2025-26, completed 14,198
employment plans, and closed 5,144 cases with employment (up 5.5%). It
operates with 878 authorized positions and 89 field offices. Its federal VR
grant was $218.9 million in FY 2026.

.          DBS's vocational rehabilitation program serves about 5,000
clients a year and recorded 1,018 employment successes in the most recently
completed year-the highest in the agency's history. It has approximately 280
positions. Its federal VR grant was $44.8 million in FY 2026.

.          Combined, the two divisions represent more than 1,150 positions
and well over $350 million in annual resources, plus overlapping employer
outreach, eligibility work, case-management system processes, and
administrative infrastructure.

.          Florida still has a large employment gap: an estimated 2.83
million working-age Floridians have a disability (13.7% of the population).
Only 23.9 percent of working-age Floridians with a disability are employed,
compared with 63.7% of those without a disability.

.          Florida already requires a cooperative agreement between the two
divisions because the same person can be eligible for both programs.

 

Jorge Hernandez 

1ST Vice President

National  Federation of the Blind of Florida 

 

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