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k. Coordination with Employers

In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(11)(E) of the Rehabilitation Act, describe how the VR agency will work with employers to identify competitive integrated employment and career exploration opportunities in order to facilitate the provision of VR services; and transition services for youth and students with disabilities, including pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities.

Current Narrative:

The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS) believes that coordination with employers is integral to improving the workforce development system. Gathering/collecting information about employer needs, which will also be shared with other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners, allows WVDRS to provide training and other services to vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumers to meet business needs and expectations of current and future workers. To optimize its coordination with employers to identify competitive integrated employment and career exploration opportunities for consumers with disabilities, WVDRS takes a multifaceted approach. WVDRS utilizes its own personnel in addition to partnering with WorkForce WV to coordinate with employers across the state. Additionally, WVDRS has specific programs/strategies to identify employment and career exploration opportunities for students with disabilities, including the provision of pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS). The strategies that WVDRS uses are described below.

WVDRS has an in-house Employer Services Section that specializes in providing employers with disability-related information, services, and pre-screened job seekers. The WVDRS Employer Services Section has nine employment specialists that cover all 55 counties in West Virginia. WVDRS’ team of employment specialists provide business owners and employers with critical business options and assistance in staffing, employee retention strategies, education on disability-related issues, job accommodations, and information about financial incentives for employers who hire individuals with disabilities. In fiscal year 2023, employment specialists provided 647 services to 402 employers; coordinated with WorkForce WV; attended statewide and local Business Services Team meetings; participated in rapid response events; attended local workforce development board (WDB) meetings; provided Job Clubs for students with disabilities; and participated in opportunities for collaboration with community colleges, community rehabilitation programs, and other organizations responsive to the workforce needs of businesses.

Sample of services provided to employers:

  • Pre-screened qualified applicants to reduce employers’ cost of recruitment and hiring.
  • Consultation, recommendation, and training for retention of employees who acquire a disability.
  • Technical assistance on the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
  • Accessibility options and solutions.
  • Employer onsite disability awareness training.
  • Information on tax credits available to employers.

Direct contact with employers is a key strategy to identify competitive integrated employment and career exploration opportunities for VR consumers, including students with disabilities.

Employment Specialists contact employers to identify current and future job openings. To complement this, WVDRS utilizes labor market information provided by WorkForce WV to identify the top employers in each county; contact is always made with the top ten employers in each county. When meeting with employers, employment specialists provide valuable information, including the WVDRS Employer Resource Guide. The resource guide provides the following information:

  • Staffing services;
  • Training programs and incentives for hiring people with disabilities;
  • Financial incentives;
  • Accessibility assessments;
  • Accommodating employees with disabilities;
  • Basic disability etiquette;
  • Attitudinal barriers;
  • Americans with Disabilities Act;
  • Locating a WVDRS office; and
  • Where to find additional resources.

The Employer Services Section inputs information into the WorkForce WV database of each WVDRS-employer interaction with employment specialists. The information collected includes the business name, contact person, and current job openings by occupation. If needed, a referral to the WVDRS Rehabilitation Technology Unit is made to address workplace accommodations. This list is distributed to field staff to potentially match a job-ready VR consumer with a current job opening. Through positive working relationships with employers, including some of the largest in the state, some now send job postings directly to WVDRS’ Employer Services Section.

WVDRS also coordinates with employers through participation and membership in various community and regional organizations. These activities range from employer-specific organizations to public-private partnerships and allow WVDRS to better understand the needs of employers while jointly developing employment-related activities. Some of these partnerships include:

  • Regional Workforce Development Boards;
  • Tri-State Society for Human Resource Management;
  • Chamber of Commerce of Beckley/Raleigh County;
  • Chamber of Commerce of Fayette County;
  • Chamber of Commerce of Jefferson County;
  • Cabell County Family Resource Network;
  • Greater Wheeling Reentry Policy Council;
  • Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley;
  • Workforce Business Services Units – Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers, and Webster counties; and
  • Employment Specialists attend Community Relations Board meetings at the Federal Prisons in Alderson and Beckley.

Another key strategy to coordinate with employers is through collaboration with WorkForce WV, a WIOA core partner. WorkForce WV is the state agency that oversees numerous U.S. Department of Labor programs. This partnership takes place at all levels, including local offices, regional workforce development boards, and state level Interagency Collaboration Team meetings. These partnerships have been of great benefit for West Virginians with disabilities seeking training and employment.

Because of the services it provides, WorkForce WV has the largest database of both job seekers and job openings in the state. WVDRS is able to tap into these resources to identify current employment opportunities for VR consumers, identify needs of employers across the state, and utilize detailed labor market information to assist individuals (including students) with disabilities in identifying future career opportunities. This allows VR consumers to identify potential employment opportunities and any training or other VR services that are required for the job. Additionally, job-ready VR consumers can create an account with WorkForce WV to find employers seeking workers with specific skills they already possess.

In addition to the previously described activities, the Employer Services Section also works with employers to better serve transitioning youth with disabilities, including providing career exploration opportunities for students with disabilities.

Employment specialist services, including Pre-ETS, provided to students with disabilities:

  • POWER job shadowing program,
  • Transition fairs,
  • Job readiness workshops,
  • Job clubs,
  • Interviewing,
  • Resume preparation,
  • Application assistance,
  • Dressing for an interview/employment,
  • Job retention and good work habits,
  • Job search and employer contacts,
  • Assist students in locating employment opportunities and assisting with applying to openings, and
  • Advocating on the student’s behalf to employers when requested by the student.