Vocational Rehabilitation

A service of the

Georgia Department of Labor

• Georgia Citizens with Disabilities and Business have been profiting from the services of V.R. since 1920

• The Vocational Rehabilitation Program provides services to persons with disabilities that enable individuals to enter enter or returnor return to the work force.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Program provides core and intensive services under the Workforce Investment Act.

However, Vocational Rehabilitation provides these services only to the target population which is individuals with disabilities.

Who is eligible for our services?

• In order to meet our eligibility, you must meet the following criteria:

– Must have a permanent disability– Must be a legal Georgia resident– Must be able to benefit from our services in terms of a

vocational outcome– Must require our services to prepare for, enter, engage

in, or retain gainful employment

What does V.R. do?

• Our main purpose is to assist people with disabilities in obtaining and maintaining employment

• We offer a wide variety of services to aid people in gaining employment and keeping their jobs.

• We also offer services to employers in the community

Vocational Services

• Counseling and Guidance

• Psychological and Vocational Evaluations

• Physical and Mental Restoration

• Post Secondary Training

• Job Readiness Assessment

• Job Readiness Training

Technical Assistance• Job Analysis• Job Modification• Job Accommodation• Rehabilitation Technology

Services for Employers

• Pre-screening of qualified applicants• Assistance in helping current employees retain

their jobs after becoming disabled• Accessibility Surveys for ADA Compliance• Assistance in utilizing the Work Opportunity Tax

Credit (WOTC)• ADA Informational Consulting• Services are provided at no cost to the business

Financial Incentives

• Work Opportunity Tax Credit (All clients with a Work Plan are Automatically Eligible)

• On-The Job Training (Half the Trainee’s Wages - Training Period)

• Supported Employment: Job Coaching

Consultant Services

• Disability Awareness

• ADA(Americans with Disabilities Act)

• Accessibility Surveys

• Job Development

• Job Placement and Follow-UP

Additional Services

• Assistive Work Technology (AWT)– Provides hi-tech and low-tech solutions for

workplace, home, and school problems– Solutions are often free or relatively

inexpensive– Consultations are provided at no cost to the

client, business, school

A ccou n tR ep resen ta tives

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C ou n se lo rs P rog ramA ss is tan ts

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V.R. Unit Team

General Counselors

• Purpose is to provide services to individuals with disabilities in Georgia to achieve competitive employment.

Transition Counselors

• Work with Georgia’s youth with disabilities in the high school setting.

• They assist high school students with disabilities to transition into employment.

Services for Clients

• Assist with application and evaluation of eligibility– Rehabilitation Counselors are trained to help with

the application for services and make the determination of eligibility for V.R. services.

• Counseling and guidance– Our Rehabilitation Counselors assist people in

choosing a career path and help them develop a plan for obtaining their goals

Services for Clients (cont.)

• Job Placement– Counselors can arrange for intensive job

placement assistance for their clients.

• Additional Skills Training– We can also provide On-The-Job Traning and

Work Adjustment Training through the services offered by our community partners

Program Assistants

• Purpose is to meet the clerical and accounting needs of our customers

Rehab. Job Readiness Tech.

• Purpose is to provide Job Readiness Assessment, Job Readiness Training and Individual Drivers Ed. Training.

• Purpose is to meet the needs of Business and V.R. clients by providing personal individual “one-on-one” services.

Rehab. Employment Specialist

Unit Manager

• Purpose is to coordinate V.R. Team in providing services to customers.

There are 12 VR Regions in Georgia

N.W. Georgia is Region #1

There are 5 VR units (i.e. teams) in Region 1

• Dallas

• Dalton

• LaFayette

• Rome (2 units)

Dallas Unit Serves 3 CountiesHaralson, Paulding, & Polk

101 Bainbridge Way, Ste. 300, Dallas, GA 30132 (770) 443-3717

Allan J. Whitehead, Unit Manager

Dallas Unit Items

• Has an office at the West Central Technical College Career Center to provide VR services

• Serves as D.O.L. office for Paulding County (services provided by the Cartersville Career Center)

• Has an office at the Cedartown Career Center to provide VR services

Dalton Unit Serves 4 CountiesWhitfield, Murray, Gilmer, &

Fannin

1615 Hickory St., Ste. 106, Dalton, GA 30720 / (706) 272-2303

Judy Salvaras, Unit Manager

Dalton Unit Items

• Has an office at the Blue Ridge Career Center.

• Also has staff that provide services at the Dalton one-stop center.

LaFayette Unit serves Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, & Walker

Counties

202 W. Villanow St., LaFayette, GA 30728 / Telephone 706-638-5536

Ed James, Unit Manager

LaFayette Unit Notes

• Has staff that provide services at the Northwest Georgia Career Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

• This office is located within the same building as the LaFayette Career Center.

Rome (2 Units) serves Bartow, Floyd, Gordon, & Pickens

Counties

450 Riverside Parkway, Suite 200

Rome, GA 30161-2942

Telephone 706-295-6400 or 1-800-546-6401

Rome has two units!

• The two unit managers are:

• Tony Hyder (serving Bartow, Floyd, & Pickens)

• Brian Spillers (serving Floyd, Gordon, and the deaf/hearing impaired in region1)

Rome Unit Notes

• Has an office at the Cartersville Career Center

• Provides services at the Gordon County DFACS office in Calhoun, Georgia

V.R. Facility within Region 1!

The Cave Spring Rehabilitation Center

Post Office Box 303, Cave Spring, GA 30124

Telephone: (706) 777-1770 or 1776

Mr. Joe Holcombe, Director

Programs at CSRC

• Evaluation/Assessment

• Employment Readiness

• Post-Secondary Training

• Independent Living Skills

• Driver Education Training

• Counseling / Guidance

• Residential Services

Picture of computer classroom

To attend CSRC check with your local V.R. office.

Vocational Rehabilitation at Work

Do you want to know more?

For more information and a complete listing of all the vocational

rehabilitation offices in The State of Georgia visit our website:

www.vocrehabga.org

This presentation was developed by the Vocational Rehabilitation Region 1 Office

450 Riverside Parkway, Suite 210

Rome, GA 30161

Phone: 706-295-6407

Mrs. Twyla Crump, Director

The End