The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the Rehab Act), which was later incorporated into the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) as Title IV, encompasses multiple programs and projects to aid in the employment and independence of individuals with disabilities.
The Vocational Rehabilitation Program (VR) is the primary federally funded employment and training program specifically designed to assist individuals with disabilities in overcoming barriers to employment serving over 1.4 million persons each year. When Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act in 1998, it set in motion significant changes in the workforce investment system, amongst them, the concept of a One Stop service delivery system whereby federal assistance and services can be made available through partnership organizations which, in many cases, are located under one roof to facilitate ease of access and enhanced customer service.
People with disabilities, in particular people with visual impairments have not been served well by the “one-stop” centers which, more often than not, fail to adequately accommodate the specific needs of people who are blind or visually impaired.
This year Congress is proceeding with legislation to reauthorize WIA, which again encompasses the Rehabilitation Act in HR 27. The bill was reported out of the House Education and Workforce Committee on February 16, 2005 and will go to a floor vote in House of Representatives. The Senate has not introduced a bill yet. However, the Administration has offered significant programmatic changes in the rehabilitation system that include an option for states in which they can choose consolidate the funding for the rehab act programs into a larger funding streams for employment programs in general.
People with disabilities, in particular people who are blind and visually impaired have specific vocational and prevocational training needs which are only addressed by the current state vocational rehabilitation system. These include training in braille literacy skills, assistive technology, orientation and mobility, and independent living skills. Without the opportunity to learn these necessary skills successful employment outcomes for people with who are blind or visually impaired will significantly decrease. This would be devastating to a population that historically has a high unemployment rate.
The Vocational Rehabilitation Program has been successful at placing individuals with disabilities in jobs with over 220,000 of their consumers achieving an employment outcome as a direct result of services provided each year. The ACB considers the maintenance of the State Vocational Rehabilitation System to be of primary importance to the success of persons with visual impairments in attaining employment. The current language in HR 27 also proposes to downgrade the current position of commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration to a directorship. With over 21 million working-age Americans with Disabilities, the position carries a significant responsibility. The ACB urges Congress to retain the position of ‘commissioner’ of RSA, thus requiring presidential appointment and an ensuing confirmation hearing and vote in the United States Senate. The very nature of this democratic process allows the opportunity for concerned citizens, stakeholders, and the disability community as a whole to address issues of concern.
If the position of Commissioner is changed to a directorship, then the hiring authority would be an internal process within the Office on Special Education and Rehabilitation services (OSERS) decreasing the opportunity for open dialogue, communication and accountability. Such a change is not an adequate reflection of the duties and responsibilities, and we oppose such a measure.
The American Council of the Blind is committed to the preservation of a separate funding stream for VR authorized under the Rehab Act to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. VR programs, projects and services create a complementary, coordinated, and comprehensive service delivery system for individuals with disabilities who want to increase their independence and self-sufficiency and as such ACB strongly opposes the consolidation of funds that would direct capital away from programs that directly serve persons with disabilities.