State of California Health and Human Services Agency
GRAY DAVIS, Governor
The following is the text of the presentation provided by Catherine
Campisi, Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. This
presentation was given to the California Workforce Investment Board on
March 15, 2000.
INTRODUCTION
As the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, I would like to thank the State
Workforce Investment Board for the opportunity to present on the California Vocational
Rehabilitation State Plan and its impact on California's Workforce Investment System.
To provide context to the VR State Plan, I would like to provide an overview of the
vocational needs of persons with disabilities in California and DR's role in serving this
population.
California has the largest and most diverse population in the Nation, with a significant
number of youth and adults with disabilities.
According to the 1990 U.S. Census, 12 percent of Californians aged 16 through 64 had
a severe work disability, mobility limitation, or self care limitation.
The employment rate of working-age adults with disabilities continues to be dramatically
below that of other adults despite civil rights legislation and various initiatives to improve
education and increase employment and earnings.
The most recent survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates for the National
Organization on Disabilities indicates that only 29% of persons with disabilities aged 18-
65 are employed full or part time.
Yet, the survey also found that 72% of those not working would prefer to be working.
These numbers reflect the magnitude of the need to vocationally assist individuals
with disabilities in pursuing meaningful careers.
OVERVIEW OF DR
The Department of Rehabilitation is California's lead agency in assisting persons with
disabilities in obtaining and retaining employment, allowing them to live
independently in their community.
The Department of Rehabilitation serves a diverse population - some with multiple
employment needs.
For example, we may serve a client that wants to return to work after recently losing
their sight.
Or we may serve a client seeking employment for the first time who has had a long
history of mental illness.
While our clients may have differing needs, they may receive training, assistive
technology, supported employment, and job placement or other services necessary
to assist them in securing employment.
In order to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in California, there are 900
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, in over 120 field offices.
Counselors work directly with clients to establish eligibility, develop Individual Plans
for Employment, and provide vocational services.
Counselors provide knowledge and experience encompassing many aspects of
disabilities including:
accessibility,
workplace supports, and,
accommodations,
Counselors understand employer needs, career development, and networking in the
community.
STATE PLAN
The Rehabilitation Act was amended as Title IV of WIA.
The Department of Rehabilitation is a mandatory partner under the Workforce
Investment Act.
As such, the Department of Rehabilitation has a vested and compelling interest in
developing workforce development systems that are fully inclusive, streamlined and
integrated.
The Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan will demonstrate linkages with our partners
in the Workforce Investment System.
The Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan will accompany California's Five-Year
Strategic Plan that will be submitted April 1, 2000.
STATE PLAN ADDRESSES
The Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan and the California Strategic Five-Year Plan
share several key principles. They include:
Universal Access,
Informed Choice,
Strong Local Collaboratives, and,
Accountability.
UNIVERSAL ACCESS ADA
The Workforce Investment Act requires that core services be universally accessible
and available at One-Stop Centers.
The Department of Rehabilitation considers the establishment of equal access policies
and procedures, consistent with ADA, to be crucial in the establishment of the One-Stop
delivery system.
State and local governments are required to make reasonable modifications in policies,
practices, and procedures that assure equal access to individuals with disabilities.
The Department of Rehabilitation is the lead state agency responsible for the
coordination of the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Department of Rehabilitation will provide training and workshops regarding the
requirements, impact, and enforcement of the ADA.
Brochures, pamphlets and other written material regarding ADA are available for
distribution to employers, clients and other groups.
INFORMED CHOICE
California's Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan and the Five-Year Strategic Plan
clearly supports the concept of informed client choice.
People with disabilities have the right to choose the programs that will assist them in
seeking career employment opportunities.
Client knowledge and empowerment is a primary consideration in the provision of
vocational rehabilitation services.
The Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan will ensure that the relationship between a
vocational rehabilitation counselor and client is driven by recognition of the client's
right to have choices and to make decisions.
LOCAL COLLABORATION
It is crucial that the Department of Rehabilitation and partner agencies collaborate to
maximize employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
No one agency has the resources or singular responsibility for the vocational
preparation of individuals with disabilities.
The Department of Rehabilitation has had long-standing and highly successful
collaborative programs with education, mental health, and county welfare agencies.
These cooperative programs benefit the client through a collaborative coordinated
approach in providing vocational services.
The Department of Rehabilitation has been an active partner in the One-Stop
Centers over the past three years.
The Department of Rehabilitation is looking forward to participating on the local
Workforce Investment Boards.
As a required one-stop partner our local administrators will carry out our
responsibilities by providing program access, negotiating financial participation and
assisting in local plan development.
Funding provided under Title IV of WIA can only be expended for individuals who
have been determined eligible for vocational rehabilitation services.
While vocational rehabilitation funds cannot be expended for the provision of One-
Stop core services, DR funding of One-Stop activities can include the provision of
vocational rehabilitation counselors, client expenditures, and co-location costs.
DR staff contribute expertise on disability related issues to the One-Stop Partnership.
ACCOUNTABILITY
The final principle of the Workforce Investment Act places a high priority on
accountability: by measuring and improving the quality and effectiveness of its
employment and training programs and gauging client satisfaction.
For over seven decades, the Vocational Rehabilitation program has gathered and
reported on employment services and has been highly accountable for employment
outcomes.
The Federal Rehabilitation Services Administration is charged with the responsibility
of establishing standards and indicators for vocational rehabilitation programming.
These standards are unique to DR programs and services and not held in common
with Title I outcome measures.
The Department of Rehabilitation is continually striving to improve the quality and
number of vocational placements for our clients commensurate with the client's
abilities and career interests.
It is the goal of the Department of Rehabilitation to achieve an employment rate of
persons with disabilities that is consistent with the employment rate of the general
population. Through our state planning efforts, and the collaboration with other
employment programs, we hope to see genuine strides made toward achieving this
goal.
I believe this Board has an unprecedented opportunity to establish a reinvigorated,
integrated workforce investment system that will increase the opportunities for meaningful
employment to job seekers with disabilities.