by Mona Pellerin

Created on: September 11, 2008

Vocational Rehabilitation Services in every state offer many services for persons with disabilities. If your disability has already been determined by receiving SSI, you will automatically be eligible for services. If you feel you have a disability, an appointment with a Rehabilitation Counselor will assist in this determination by a physician examination or a psychological examination which is paid by VR.

Once disability information is acquired and determined, VR will begin to assess your needs and identify your abilities to see if services include accommodations, educational or job skills training and/or social skills training. Some persons are job-ready,

Tests include employment aptitudes, personality, eye-hand coordination, cognitive abilities, spatial memory, assessment of daily living skills, social skills and other tests that may address specific disabilities and abilities for those who are blind or deaf or have learning disabilities. As a Masters level Rehabilitation Counselor with an internship with VR, it is amazing how accurate the tests are in assessing the extent of a person's disability as well as their abilities to be productive.

Job placement is another service as counselors are well-connected to the job market and know how to provide best-fits for both the person and the employers. Rehearsals for interviews and resume skills are also included when needed. As most employers are now concurrent with ADA guidelines, facilities are adapted for wheelchairs to include ramps and accessible bathrooms. Also, VR provides Job Coaches in some instances, where orientation or specific accommodations in the workplace require assistance until the person becomes acclimated and makes a smooth transition.

For persons who have adequate cognitive skills but have neurological disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy or have become quadriplegics, educational programs or job skills training are provided. This includes books, tuition, technological devices as required and, many times, transportation. In these cases, note-takers or Personal Care Assistants are provided to insure success. PCA's are trained to take care of daily living needs, such as baths, meals and housekeeping.

In some cases, a person may not be a candidate for the workforce. VA provides assistance and services for Independent Living that include making living space accessible and providing homehealth or PCA services. Services may include revisions of bathrooms, lowering cabinets, ramps and devices for reaching into cabinets.

Success stories for persons with disabilities are plentiful. There are many with computer skills that work at home-based business such as graphic arts or data entry; many persons in wheelchairs have excellent jobs with computer skills; some are very artistic who do illustrations for authors; many with learning disabilities find accommodations such as large print for reading; a deaf person will be furnished an interpreter who is efficient in sign language such as one who took a florist design course.

Due to inclusion and all the services provided for persons with disabilities, it takes only the step forward to see how much life can be enriched by identifying skills that help you be productive and have earnings. The general population has become so accustomed to seeing persons with disabilities that the blend is becoming a natural way of life.

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