Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Minority groups include Hispanic/Latino residents specifically in the mid and southwestern section of Michigan; Black/African American, Native Americans in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan; and Asian or Pacific Islanders specifically Arab and Arab Americans and Hmong residents in the southeastern part of the state.

According to the 2015 American Community Survey*, 77% of non-institutionalized Michigan residents with disabilities are White, 17.5% Black/African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.8% other racial group, and 2.7% multiracial. In addition, 3.4% are of Hispanic origin. Furthermore, the 2015 American Community Survey** reports 0.6% of U.S. population and 1.9% of Michigan residents identify their ancestry as Arab. Wayne County of Michigan is composed of 5.2% Arab residents and the city of Dearborn was 42.4%. According to the Arab American Institute (2014), Detroit is one of the top five metropolitan areas with Arab American populations. Unfortunately, no disability prevalence rate for Arab Americans is available.

When compared to the 2015 American Community Survey, which estimated that 17.5% of Michigan residents with disabilities were African American, this group is not currently considered underserved in Michigan Rehabilitation Services (31.7%). Conversely, the 2015 American Community Services report, estimated that 3.4% of Michigan residents with disabilities were Hispanic/Latino, while MRS served a lower proportion of customers with Hispanic Origin (2.8% in FY 2015). Thus, the Hispanic/Latino ethnic group appears to be somewhat underserved.

Customers who exited MRS in FFY 2016 consisted of White, no-Hispanic origin (62.1%), African American (31.8%), Native American (0.8%), Asian or Pacific Islander (0.8%), Hispanic (2.6%) and multiracial (1.8%). A total of 6,615 (37.9%) racial/ethnic minorities exited MRS during FFY 2016. Considering vocational rehabilitation process, a lower proportion of minorities were determined eligible (Eligibility rate: 80.8% vs. 87.7%), received services based on the Individualized Plan for Employment (Plan Rate: 72.4% vs. 79.5%), and achieved an employment outcome (Adjusted Rehabilitation Rate: 52.4% vs. 62.4%), in comparison to White customers. Discrepancies in vocational rehabilitation process rates between minority groups were observed; Asian customers (58.3%) were most likely to achieve an employment outcome while Native Americans (43.8%) were least likely to have a successful employment outcome. The same trend has been observed over the years.

In addition to common needs identified for the general disability group (e.g., transportation, housing), some unique needs and challenges for racial/ethnic minorities included: unwillingness to seek help due to different cultural perception on disabilities, incorrect information on disability and services available, language barriers resulting in low referrals and limited success in finding jobs, lack of qualified interpreters or bilingual staff, and limited services for refugees. Also, it should be noted that racial, ethnic or cultural characteristics are often intertwined with other factors, such as low socio-economic status and low level of education.

Meanwhile, issues for Native Americans with disabilities, especially living on reservations, included higher rates of disability, unemployment, substance abuse, suicide, diabetes, and mental health issues.

*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 ACS, American FactFinder, Table S1810; http://factfinder.census.gov.

** Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 ACS, American FactFinder, Table B04006; http://factfinder.census.gov.