Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
Describe the designated State agency's procedures and activities to establish and maintain a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professional and paraprofessional personnel for the designated State unit, including the following:
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- B. Personnel Development
Describe the development and maintenance of a system for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on personnel development with respect to:
- B. Personnel Development
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 1. B. i. A list of the institutions of higher education in the State that are preparing VR professionals, by type of program;
Current Narrative:
Indiana does not have any CACREP Accredited Rehabilitation master’s programs in the state, and therefore there are 0 graduates to report. VR staff are encouraged to pursue online rehabilitation counselor preparation programs through out-of-state institutions which are CACREP-approved.
VR encourages students studying in related fields to participate in internships with the VR agency and believes this to be a valuable recruiting practice. VR will continue to work with local universities to increase the number of interns with hopes of increasing the recruitment pool for vacant VR Counselor positions.
Due to the lack of accredited rehabilitation graduate programs in Indiana, BRS modified its minimum educational requirements for VR Counselor positions after WIOA was passed. Current minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation or a related area along with at least one year of related experience. Prior to this significant change, the minimum requirement was a master’s degree in Rehabilitation or related area.