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
j. 1. B. Who are minorities;
Current Narrative:
Historically, the population of Idaho has been ethnically homogenous in comparison to other states in the region. However, Idaho’s recent population growth has seen an accompanying growth in the number and diversity of minority populations residing in the state, and some minority populations are experiencing double digit growth. While IDVR continues to trend to a minority service ratio of 1.00, IDVR remains committed to expanding outreach to minority populations.
The last available five-year ACS data (2018) indicates Idaho is 89.9% White with no other single race representing over 1.5 percent (Asian). Two or more races are reported by 3.0 percent of Idahoans. When considering ethnicity, Hispanic or Latino (of any race) is second with 12.7%
Idaho’s population is expected to grow by on average 1.1 percent annually between 2019 to 2026:
- “for both Hispanics and non-Hispanics, growth rates in Idaho are higher than the nation as a whole. However, population growth has slowed over the last five to ten years. While average annual growth rates among Idaho’s Hispanics were 9.0% in 1990s, they slowed to 7.3% in the 2000s and 1.5% since 2010. At the national level, average annual growth rates among Hispanics declined from 5.6% in 1990s to 4.3% in the 2000s and 1.2% in the 2010s. While Hispanic growth has slowed, this group continues to grow faster than the non-Hispanic population.” (Hispanic Profile Data Book for Idaho, 4th Edition, 2017).
In addition to demographic information and internal case management data, IDVR remains informed on the needs of minority population through efforts which are further elaborated on in section o, the program specific section of this plan for the Division.