National Council on Disabilities Releases Report Critical of VR
The National Council on Disability (NCD) just released a report titled The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Rehabilitation Act on the employment and postsecondary education outcomes of eligible transition-age youth. It conducts an in-depht study of Vocational Rehabilitation services as they relate to youth transitioning. Please feel free to comment about the report findings in our forum section or take our survey on the home page.
Letter of Transmittal
October 28, 2008
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of the National Council on Disability (NCD), I am pleased to submit this report titled The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition Age Youth during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Rehabilitation Act on the employment and postsecondary education outcomes of eligible transition-age youth. The Council is deeply appreciative of your efforts on behalf of people with disabilities. We hope that the recommendations contained herein will aid the administration in realizing the full potential of “America’s People, America’s Talent, America’s Strength.”
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, together with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, set in motion policy changes that have allowed many thousands of children and youth with disabilities in the United States the opportunity to gain the educational and vocational skills needed to transition to living, working, and participating as adults in community life.
NCD undertook this study to examine the extent to which the vocational rehabilitation system’s (VR) existing federal/state structure promotes:
- the delivery of effective transition services to adolescents and young adults with disabilities;
- the long-term results of VR’s investment in postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities;
- and the effectiveness of collaborative efforts among vocational rehabilitation, secondary and postsecondary education, and other service systems in the planning and delivery of transition services.
The public sector VR program has been providing employment-related services to young adults with disabilities for decades, and currently serves more than 50,000 youth each year, but the results of the study confirm that relatively little is known about the extent and effectiveness of VR transition services. As a result, state VR agencies continue to devote substantial resources to this population without the benefit of methodologically sound evaluation approaches. These approaches need to be used to assess the long-term impact of services on the employment status and economic self-sufficiency, validated evidence-based service delivery approaches that form the basis of program planning, or systematic procedures for identifying new promising practices.
The ever-increasing number of transition-age youth with disabilities who will exit secondary education programs and attempt to enter the workforce over the next decade will create tremendous challenges for VR agencies. While many current service delivery approaches hold promise, little empirical information is available that will allow VR agencies to accurately predict the amount and type of services required to assist transition-age youth to meet their employment goals, or the outcomes that should be anticipated for individuals served through the program.
NCD stands ready to work with you, members of your Administration, and the leadership in Congress as you work toward improving our nation’s vocational rehabilitation system.
Sincerely,
John R. Vaughn
Chairperson
Review Complete Report Here
