Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Those classified as “counselor staff,” can be somewhat deceiving because it includes specialty staff (vision rehabilitation therapists and orientation and mobility specialists) that may not be considered actual vocational rehabilitation counselors. It also includes four “hybrid” counselors who work under the State of Alabama Independent Living Program (SAIL) and serve consumers who dually qualify for independent living services and vocational rehabilitation services. The actual number of DVR rehab counselors is closer to 164. These are counselors who provide services through our field offices and One—Stop Career Center sites. Each of these counselors currently averages a caseload of approximately 153 consumers. There is currently a state hiring freeze; however, the State Finance Director has granted a blanket approval for ADRS - DVR to fill direct service and direct-support service vacancies which are federally funded. With this approval, along with the addition of a master’s in counseling to the State Plan counselor standard, DVR will continue filling vacancies with qualified rehabilitation counseling staff.

A database is used to track the educational backgrounds and experience of the active counselors and field supervisors within the department for the express purpose of encouraging and enabling all staff to reach the state’s highest definition of ‘qualified rehabilitation professionals.’ This database supports already existing systems and contains information gathered from educational transcripts required upon application to this job classification.

The agency also employs orientation and mobility instructors, interpreters, vision rehabilitation therapists and rehabilitation employment specialists (business relations consultants). A qualification for orientation mobility instructor is an ACVREP or NOMC certification. Interpreters must be licensed by the Alabama Licensure Board for Interpreters and Transliterators. A vision rehabilitation therapist must have at least a bachelor’s degree and one year experience; however, most of these staff members have master’s degrees. The business relations consultants may come from a business background or a vocational rehabilitation service background with appropriate degrees.