[nfbmi-talk] Individuals with disabilities blocked from receiving Voc Rehab Assistance to attend college

[Lydia Schuck]

The statements below were posted on a list I subscribe to about Adult Education and Disability.  Lydia


A recent article published in The Hechinger Report highlights a troubling trend faced by many adults with disabilities trying to access state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) funding for post-secondary education.  Eligible but got Nothing: Hundreds of thousands of People with Disabilities Blocked from College Aid<http://hechingerreport.org/800000-people-disabilities-eligible-help-got-nothing/> shares the stories of several VR clients, and the underlying issues that have kept them from receiving services.

The article notes that, "More than 800,000 people with disabilities found eligible for services received no assistance between 2010 and 2014, according to federal data. More than a dozen states failed to provide services to over 40 percent of those they themselves deemed eligible. This despite $3 billion in tax dollars spent last year by the agencies responsible, known as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) offices. Created by the Rehabilitation Act three decades ago, VRs are supposed to help people with disabilities become independent.  Delays in service provision were so widespread that, in 2014, Congress mandated that a person with a disability must receive a plan for employment within 90 days of being deemed eligible for assistance. In 20 states, more than one-third of cases stretched past the 90-day limit in 2015. Close to 14,000 cases stretched past a year".

Part of the problem is high VR caseloads carried by those working directly with clients, and responsible for these services. Under WIOA, VR and adult education are now tasked with working jointly to better serve VR clients.  What are the ideas in your state for bridging the historic divide between adult education and VR?  How can we work together to better serve our learners with disabilities?

Please take a minute to share what you are seeing in your state, or thinking may work for your community.  No ideas are too big, or too small!

Best,

Mike Cruse

Disabilities in Adult Education Moderator

michaelcruse74 at gmail.com<mailto:michaelcruse74 at gmail.com>