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
- o. State's Strategies
Describe the required strategies and how the agency will use these strategies to achieve its goals and priorities, support innovation and expansion activities, and overcome any barriers to accessing the VR and the Supported Employment programs (See sections 101(a)(15)(D) and (18)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act and section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)):
- o. State's Strategies
o. 3. The outreach procedures that will be used to identify and serve individuals with disabilities who are minorities, including those with the most significant disabilities, as well as those who have been unserved or underserved by the VR program
Current Narrative:
Most of the minorities living in VT reside within Chittenden County, and are served by the Burlington district office. In particular, Burlington has a high proportion of refugees and new Americans. There are several organizations within Burlington that serve individuals who are minorities and/or refugees. The Burlington VR office has a well-established relationship with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont.
DVR will also be providing diversity and cultural awareness training for all staff in Program Year 2020. Thereafter, we anticipate the training will be repeated every two years for existing staff. Diversity and cultural awareness training will also be added to the orientation training for all new DVR staff.