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:
__________
[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- g. Coordination with Employers
Describe how the designated State unit will work with employers to identify competitive integrated employment and career exploration opportunities in order to facilitate the provision of:
- g. Coordination with Employers
g. 1. VR Services; and
Current Narrative:
It is the goal of the VR Business and Community Engagement (BC&E) team to focus on building long-lasting relationships with each employer it connects with in order to increase opportunities of competitive integrated employment for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Very often a first meeting with a business begins with a tour of the workplace, an overview of the different open positions available, and an in-depth listening session on what the business believes that it needs to continue with their diversity hiring specific to disability. B&CE explores where employers are in their diversity hiring initiatives and explain some of the steps employers often make when building a more inclusive workplace. The topics of student informational tours, work-based learning opportunities like internships and apprenticeships, and disability awareness programs are all presented to the employers as ways to build a talent pipeline and an inclusive workplace.
Workplace tours are very often the first activity with an employer. Tours can be organized for students with disabilities and/or for the employment specialists that work to support VR participants. The more information about the open positions and qualifications needed, the better the applicant pool will be for the employer. This all goes to build the good relationship with the employer. And, for those students not ready to enter the workforce who are able to tour an employer job site, it provides them with an idea of what future employment options they might have in their communities.