The Vocational Rehabilitation Process and Vocational AssessmentEvaluation

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The Vocational Rehabilitation Process and
Vocational Assessment/Evaluation

• BCE 545 (Meeting I)
• 2/4/01

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The Vocational Rehabilitation Process

• (Referral)
• Application
• Eligibility Determination
• Plan Development
• Services
• Placement
• (Post Employment Services)

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The Process Runs on Information

• In each step of the process, you or the consumer
  will need to make decisions based upon
  information.
• Some things you will already know, from
  information provided to you.
• Some things you will have to learn more about.
• Decisions made in the rehabilitation process must
  be based on good information or the
  rehabilitation process may not be successful.

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1st Information Application

• Initial interviewing What is the consumers
  story, why are they here, what do they want to
  gain, and do they understand what rehabilitation
  does?
• From the initial interview/application, you can
  begin to see what questions you might need to
  have answered

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• Diagnosis/Specific Disability?
• Functional Assets/Limitations?
• Consumers Resources? (Financial, Family Support,
  etc)
• Vocational Interests, Values, Preferences?
• Vocational Capacities? (Skills, Aptitudes,
  Achievement/Academics)
• Consumers Personal GoalsWhat do they Expect to
  Get Out of Participating in Rehabilitation?
• Vocational Assessment Starts Here

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Next Step Eligibility Determination

• An individual is eligible if
• Presence of a disability (physical or cognitive)
  that constitutes a substantial handicap to
  employment
• VR services are necessary to prepare for, secure,
  retain or regain employment
• Ability of consumer to benefit from services
  (usually means they are capable of being
  employed).

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Questions to be answered in Determining
Eligibility

• Does the person have a disability? (diagnosis)
• What/how severe are the effects of that
  disability? (functional limitations)
• Are the functional limitations severe enough to
  hinder employability given the persons history?
  (previous employment, education, etc.)
• Are services available to benefit the individual?
  (service capacities)
• Can the individual benefit from the services?
  (severity)

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You must understand the consumers functional
assets and limitations to be successful in
rehabilitation.

• Functional Limitations are the specific ways in
  which medical, psychological, vocational,
  educational, or related factors impede an
  individual with a disability from performing
  specific job tasks, functioning in the job
  environment, and/or becoming involved in job
  preparation activities that s/he has the
  potential to perform

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Some Potential Areas of Functional Limitation

• Sensory functioning
• Motor coordination
• Mobility
• Thought Processes
• Emotional Stability
• Personal Behavior
• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication
• Manual Dexterity
• Physical Strength or Stamina

• Physical Appearance
• Learning
• Work Habits
• Academic Achievement
• Information Processing
• Job Seeking Skills
• Speech
• Judgment
• Memory
• Others..

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After Eligibility is Established, A
Rehabilitation Plan is Developedconsisting of

• Vocational goalThat is, a job or career.
• Informed choicechoice of vocation based on
  information.
• What are the consumers capacities?
• What are the demands of occupations?
• What are the employment conditions in the
  community?
• Services necessary to prepare the person to
  perform the career
• Services to lessen the effects of disability
  (medical services, assistive technology
• Services to enhance skills (education/training)
• Services to change the work environment (job
  modification)

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Next Step Service Provision(or, putting the
plan in motion)

• What services are necessary?
• What services are available?
• What do the services cost?
• How long do the services take?

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Final Step Placement

• What jobs are available?
• Are the jobs suitable for the consumer?
• Is the consumer prepared to compete for the
  openings?

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Vocational Assessment Getting the Information
you Need
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What is vocational assessment?

• Vocational Assessment is the Big Picture.
• It involves gathering any and all information
  that is relevant to an individual becoming
  employed and staying employed.
• Remember The goal is employment.

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Provision for Vocational Assessment/Evaluation in
1998 Amendments to Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• Vocational assessment mandated as part of
  rehabilitation process
• 1) To determine whether an individual is
  eligible for vocational rehabilitation
  services and
• 2) To identify those services that are needed
  to overcome impediments to employment
  associated with the disability

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Vocational Assessment and Eligibility
Determination

• Vocational Assessment can indicate that an
  individual is in need of special assistance
  through rehabilitation to get and keep a job.
• Vocational Assessment can show that an individual
  is capable of benefiting from services.

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Who Does It?

• The Rehabilitation Counselor
• Consultants
• Medical
• Psychological
• Vocational

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Rehabilitation Counselors Role in Vocational
Assessment

• Gathers and reviews existing information
  (medical/psychological/educational files)
• Interacts with consumeradds to information,
  gains consumers input (goal setting, etc.)
• Determines the need for referrals to gather
  additional information
• Medical Referral
• Psychological Referral
• Vocational Referral
• Always understand the rationale for making a
  referralyou should have specific questions for
  the consultant.

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Medical Referral

• DiagnosisDocumentation of Disability
• PrognosisIs the disability stable, improving,
  worsening?
• Treatment AlternativesSurgery, Medication, etc.
• Functional LimitationsThe effect the disability
  has upon physical capacities (lifting, use of
  lower/upper extremities, stamina, etc.)

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Psychological Referral

• Diagnosis, Prognosis, TreatmentBut here, in
  relation to psychological rather than physical
  disabilities.
• Functional Limitations
• Ability to handle different vocational situations
  (stress, repetition, working with people)
• Intelligence and educational potential

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Vocational Referral

• Usually, this means referral to a vocational
  evaluator.
• Vocational Evaluators are specifically trained to
  work with persons with disabilities.
• Vocational Evaluators are trained to understand
  the demands of occupations and measure
  vocational capacities of workers, and to find
  fits between persons and jobs.
• Vocational Evaluators should be knowledgeable of
  local labor market conditions.
• Vocational Evaluators should understand available
  local services, especially education and training
  opportunities.

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What comes out of a Vocational Evaluation?

• Information on consumers vocational capacities
  and interests, from testing, interviewing, and
  observation.
• A vocational goal, or a list of alternatives.
• Service recommendations for preparing the
  consumer to achieve the goal they have chosen.

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Vocational EvaluationHow it Works
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Vocational Assessment Vs. Vocational Evaluation

• Vocational Assessment can be performed on three
  levels
• Screening Minimal assessment (High School
  Guidance Counselor)
• Clinical Greater integration of information,
  interagency contact (Psychologists Office, What
  a Rehabilitation Counselor does in their office)
• Vocational Evaluation The use of real or
  simulated work to assess vocational alternatives
  (Specific service with specific goals in a
  specific setting.)

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Vocational Evaluation Defined

• A comprehensive process that systematically uses
  work, real or simulated, as the focal point for
  assessment and vocational exploration, the
  purpose of which is to assist individuals in
  vocational development. Vocational (work)
  evaluation incorporates medical, psychological,
  social, vocational, educational, cultural, and
  economic data in the attainment of the goals of
  the evaluation process (Tenth Institute on
  Rehabilitation Issues, 1972)

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Vocational Evaluation is usually used with
persons with disabilities

• Why?
• Attempt to remediate delays in vocational
  development.
• Orientation to world of work variety of jobs,
  tasks, duties.
• Eligibility determination in state-federal
  vocational rehabilitation (e.g., ADRS)

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Who is a Vocational Evaluator?

• An individual with a specific role in the
  rehabilitation processto assess individuals
  vocational characteristics and determine
  vocational alternatives and services necessary to
  obtain the chosen vocational goal.
• Background Usually rehabilitation counseling or
  a closely related field.
• Certification May have no certification. May be
  certified as a Certified Vocational Evaluator
  (CVE), or may have a CRC.

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Where does Vocational Evaluation take place?

• Vocational Evaluation Laboratory
• Classroom Look
• Emphasis on Work Samples
• Descendant of 19th century Human Performance
  laboratories (Cattell, Wundt)
• Sheltered Workshops
• Situational Assessment
• Allows observation of real work in a controlled
  setting.
• The Community
• Job Tryouts
• Most useful setting unfortunately, may be the
  rarest.
• Common in supported employment programs.

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Vocational Evaluation Tools

• Existing Information (usually from rehabitation
  counselor.
• Vocational Interviewing and Counseling
• Psychometric Tests
• Work Samples/Situational Assessments
• Observation of Consumer at Work
• Knowledge of Work and Occupations
• Local and National Labor Market Projections
• Demands of Occupations
• Rewards of Occupations (salaries, etc.)

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Traditional Vocational Evaluation Process

• Referral Counselor has a rationale for sending
  consumer to evaluation should have specific
  referral questions.
• Orientation Consumer is informed of evaluation
  purpose given information about facility,
  process, etc.
• Initial Testing Basic testing is completed,
  usually interest, general aptitude, and
  achievement testing.
• Interview The vocational evaluator meets with
  the consumer, does a vocational interview,
  gathers information necessary to plan the
  evaluation.

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Vocational Evaluation Process, cont.

• Evaluation Planning The evaluator determines the
  hypotheses (questions) that are to be answered
  through the process and determines the content of
  the evaluation (tests, procedures, etc.)
• Individualized Testing The evaluator administers
  tests and other procedures, records results,
  makes observations of consumer.
• Staffing Evaluator meets with consumer and
  counselor, discusses results of evaluation and
  recommendations for next steps (goals, services)
• Report Writing Evaluator writes a report,
  stating results of evaluation and recommendations
  for services/goals to be included in
  rehabilitation plan.

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Vocational Assessment--What is the Outcome?
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Outcomes Affecting the Vocational Rehabilitation
Process

• Eligibility can be documented
• Presence of disability
• Ability to benefit from services
• Rehabilitation Planning is Facilitated
• Goals
• Services
• Desired Outcomes

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Outcomes Affecting the Consumer

• Better Knowledge of the World of Work
• Better Knowledge of Self (Assets, Limitations,
  Interests, etc.)
• Better Sense of Direction