Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

The agency has multiple strategies to provide access to technology services and devices on a statewide basis during all phases of the rehabilitation process. To start the agency has a statewide network of degreed and qualified rehabilitation technology specialists. The team members are located strategically throughout the state so all staff have access to their expertise. This team meets on a quarterly basis to discuss among themselves, and with partner agency, staff various advances and new products in rehabilitation technology. These meetings provide vendors the opportunity to demonstrate new and innovative pieces of technology to demonstrate to the team. This team will act as a training agent for other agency rehabilitation staff throughout the state. Team members will attend unit meetings throughout the state to discuss and demonstrate technology to frontline counseling staff. The team members will also continue to attend national conferences, such as the Assistive Technology Industries Association (ATIA) conference, where they will be exposed to innovative technology. The rehabilitation technology team will continue to present at various conferences throughout the year. Conferences they will attend and present at include the Alabama Association of Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) conference, the Alabama Assistive Technology & Expo Conference, the Technology Symposium (which focuses on blind and low vision technology), and other conferences as appropriate. As part of this statewide team of rehabilitation technology specialists, the agency also employs an assistive technology specialist specializing in deaf and hard of hearing assistive technology and an assistive technology specialist specializing in blind and low vision technology. Having this team of rehabilitation technology specialists provides a resource for counselors to purchase and utilize technology for consumers throughout the rehabilitation process, including evaluation, IPE development and implementation, training, and employment.

The agency also has a state of the art Adaptive Driving Program. The agency has ten (10) vehicles equipped with comprehensive adaptive driving equipment. These vehicles are used by two (2) Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialists and five (5) Certified Driving Instructors who provide adaptive drivers training to people disabilities statewide. The program is unique in that through a cooperative arrangement with the Alabama Department of Public Safety, Driver’s License Division, one of the agency’s adaptive driving staff has been certified to give the driver’s license road test to our consumers and confer upon them a driver’s license. In partnership with the UAB Center for Low Vision the agency’s Adaptive Driving Program is now providing comprehensive training in bioptic driving. Bioptic driving is a method of driving that utilizes both the individual’s general vision in combination with intermittent spotting through a small telescopic system that improves the sharpness of the individual’s far vision. This has been a very successful partnership and an avenue of independence for many individuals served by the agency. A number of agency staff attended the annual Alabama Assistive Technology & Expo Conference at Auburn University as well as the annual Technology Symposium (which focuses on blind and low vision technology) at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.