Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services has cooperative agreements and working relationships with entities outside of the Statewide Workforce Development System. These agreements provide the agency with the opportunity to extend services to people with disabilities referred by other agencies, as well as the chance to utilize the services of other agencies for its consumers. (1) Federal, State and Local Programs • Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB): ADRS enjoys an excellent working relationship with AIDB. AIDB is charged with the responsibility of providing elementary and high school residential education for blind and deaf students in Alabama. Also, through its E. H. Gentry Technical Facility it provides vocational assessment and training for adults with visual, hearing, and other disabilities. ADRS refers consumers to E. H. Gentry for comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services. Also, the agency works very cooperatively with AIDB in providing appropriate services to students in the AIDB high schools for the blind and deaf. ADRS works collaboratively with the Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) and the Alabama School for the Blind (ASB) to provide deaf and blind students with summer employment opportunities. ADRS also works actively with AIDB’s Helen Keller School (HKS) that serves students who are deaf, blind, and/or have multiple disabilities. ADRS assists AIDB in transitioning these high school students into employment and/or training programs (to include college) by partnering to provide comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services. ADRS has written agreements with these programs including a collaborative agreement with AIDB to jointly fund Vision Rehabilitation Therapists who provide instruction that enhances vocational opportunities, independent living skills, and the educational development of persons with vision loss, and may include working in center based or itinerant settings. The agency also jointly funds Randolph—Sheppard Specialists and Orientation and Mobility Specialists. • Department of Corrections: ADRS is cooperating with the Alabama Department of Corrections. ADRS receives referrals on inmates who are in the prison system who will be transitioning back into their home areas through liaison counselors to the prisons. ADRS has established a system to handle these referrals and to provide services to eligible individuals when they return home. An ADRS staff specialist in the State Office is overseeing this initiative. ADRS also provides transition services to eligible inmates in special education. ADRS has a written agreement with ADOC. • Department of Risk Management: ADRS works cooperatively with Alabama’s Risk Management program. We receive referrals of individuals injured on the job to assist Risk Management in helping various state agencies retain individuals in employment who may have been injured. ADRS does not currently have a written agreement with the Department of Risk Management • Governor’s Office: ADRS receives on a regular basis referrals from the Governor’s office. The Governor’s office contacts ADRS to make referrals of individuals who have contacted the Governor’s office regarding various disability related issues. These referrals are received by an Assistant Commissioner of ADRS, and forwarded to the appropriate local supervisor for follow up and assessment. Understandably, many of these referrals are for services beyond the scope of ADRS; however, efforts are made to provide the Governor’s staff with an appropriate service outlet to address the needs of the consumer. • Bureau of Indian Affairs and State of Alabama Indian Affairs Commission: ADRS recognizes the need for services to Native Americans. The agency has liaison counselors assigned to various tribes throughout the state to receive referrals and to extend our services to Native Americans within Alabama. ADRS also coordinates services through the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission for Alabama’s eight state recognized tribes and one state and federally recognized tribe. ADRS provides services to American Indians with disabilities to the same extent as the agency provides such services to other significant segments of the population with disabilities residing in the state. ADRS does not currently have a written agreement regarding services to American Indians. • Department of Youth Services (DYS): Alabama has a Department of Youth Services. This Department is established to work with delinquent youth. The expectation is that the services of DYS will prevent delinquent youth from eventually advancing to the adult correctional system. ADRS has a specialist who is very actively involved with DYS. This individual receives referrals on a regular basis from DYS and forwards those referrals to the appropriate field staff. ADRS has a written agreement with the ADYS • Department of Mental Health (DMH): The Agency maintains an ongoing relationship with DMH. ADRS serves numerous consumers with mental illness. ADRS works on cooperative initiatives to ensure services are provided to eligible consumers. ADRS maintains a relationship with the DMH Division of Substance Abuse and a network of residential aftercare service providers. ADRS is working extensively with the DMH to expand and improve the ADRS supported employment program. This includes efforts in the areas of Employment First, extended supports, and collaborating on grants. ADRS has a cooperative agreement with ADMH. • Alabama Head Injury Foundation (AHIF): ADRS continues its relationship with the Alabama Head Injury Foundation. This relationship is directed towards maintaining a service delivery system to address the needs of consumers affected by traumatic brain injury. • Community Rehabilitation Programs: ADRS continues an excellent working relationship with a wide network of community rehabilitation programs throughout the state. These CRPs are a critical link in our service delivery effort. ADRS maintains written agreements with the CRPs. • Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA): ADRS has an ongoing partnership with the ADECA. The agency has worked cooperatively to pursue grants to serve people with disabilities. • The Alabama Disability Advocacy Program (ADAP): ADAP is the Alabama arm of the Protection and Advocacy program for people with disabilities. ADAP makes referrals to Alabama’s toll free number for information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through ADRS which coordinates the service. • Statewide Independent Living Centers: ADRS is represented on the State Independent Living Council and works closely with Alabama’s three Independent Centers to coordinate services and referrals. • Governor’s Office on Disability (GOOD): GOOD serves as a clearinghouse for resources related to people with disabilities. ADRS maintains an ongoing relationship with the Governor’s Office in order to provide resources as needed. • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP): ADRS partners with OFCCP to provide affirmative action training to employers on issues related to hiring and retaining workers with disabilities. ADRS hosted a major conference for employers in conjunction with OFCCP staff to provide information to employers on the 503 Federal Hiring mandates. • Social Security Administration (SSA): The Agency maintains an excellent working relationship with the SSA. The ADRS employs a Social Security Specialist that stays abreast of Social Security issues and has given numerous presentations on the Ticket to Work, Work Incentives Improvement Act, and other SSA initiatives to ADRS staff, consumer groups, and partner organizations. • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The partnership between EEOC and ADRS involves staff cross training on disability and employment law in addition to ADRS linkage to public and private sector businesses to assist with non—discriminatory practices in the employment, retention, training and promotion of individuals with disabilities. ADRS is a regular trainer for the EEOC technical assistance seminars for employers as well. • Department of Labor — Veterans Employment Training Service (VETS): ADRS collaborates at the state and local level with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) staff to assist wounded warriors in return to work or obtaining employment with Federal contractors and other businesses. This includes vets access to the ADRS RAVE (Retaining A Valued Employee) program. • Alabama Industry Liaison Group (ALILG): Represents Federal contractors’ compliance issues to include those tied to disability (Section 503 of the Rehab Act). ADRS is the lead provider of information, training and resources related to outreach, employment and retention of individuals with disabilities to ALILG businesses and ALILG routinely trains ADRS business relations consultants and participates in local, regional and state conferences sponsored by ADRS. Cooperative Agreements. • Alabama Business Leadership Employment (ABLE) Network: The 501c3 conglomerate of Alabama businesses that advocate for the employment of individuals with disabilities uses the ADRS business relations program as their lead resource for disability in the workplace issues, while co—sponsoring numerous training events for employers. They also serve as an advisor to ADRS on disability issues and resources for employers. • Federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Representatives from a variety of Federal agencies throughout Alabama that function under the OPM work directly with the ADRS business relations consultants to implement Federal hiring mandates, Schedule A recruitment, accommodations, and employee retention impacting workers with disabilities in the Federal sector. • Department of Veterans Affairs: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program. ADRS collaborates with the VR&E program at the national and state level to serve and place into employment veterans completing the VR&E program, providing customized services through ADRS specialty counselors, rehabilitation technology specialists for accommodations, and for return to work assistance. ADRS does not have a written agreement with the VA.