The PaRC at Work in 2005

1. Increased educational development opportunities for PaRC members which included:

(a.) Members attended Region III State Rehabilitation Council Training Forum by Rehabilitation Services Administration Services, Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program through the George Washington University in Philadelphia, PA July 27 - 28, 2005. Members did a presentation on the Partnership between State Rehabilitation Councils and their State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies.
(b.) A member attended the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) Conference in Nashville, TN, November 7 - 12, 2004.

2. In consultation with vocational rehabilitation, developed and approved the State Plan Attachment for FY 2006. Highlights of this plan included: Continued efforts by the PaRC to increase communication with OVR and the OVR Board,

(a.) An overall emphasis on the importance of consumer input, including: recommendations that VR outreach to Consumer Advisory Councils (CACs), and a recommendation to increase and expand advertisement of VR meetings which are open to the public and allow opportunity for public comment, and
(b.) Special focus on the availability of PaRC members as a resource to assist VR in addressing issues such as CareerLink (one-stop) accessibility, and physical and technological accessibility of government services for persons with disabilities.

3. Outreached directly into the disability community in Central and Western Pennsylvania, and evaluated customer satisfaction with VR services by holding two Public Forums. The forums provided an informal atmosphere where VR customers could discuss issues of concern such as:

(a.) Communication with VR staff,
(b.) The overall delivery of VR services to persons with the most significant disabilities, and
(c.) Community awareness of the availability of VR services. The results of the Forum were provided to OVR, and will be used to make recommendations to the State Plan attachment.

4. Reviewed and approved the addition to the OVR College policy which was a written clarification of the requirement for students seeking financial aid to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Members look forward to continued participation on this workgroup during FY 2006.

5. Monitored, identified and responded to federal and state legislation and or public policy that affects persons with disabilities, particularly those items that will impact employment. Position papers were written on the following legislation that was due for reauthorization: the Rehabilitation Act and the Workforce Investment Act. Members attended the National Rehabilitation Association conference in Alexandria, VA to keep current with national trends and priorities in vocational rehabilitation. Members traveled to Washington, D.C. and presented the twenty-one Pennsylvania legislators with the council's position papers to educate them on the importance of the public vocational rehabilitation program. Members also developed and delivered position papers to 19 state legislators in Harrisburg, PA.

6. Collaborated with the OVR Board and other stakeholder workgroups at the annual retreat to develop the OVR strategic plan for the upcoming year.

7. The Council continued its recruitment efforts to maintain an experienced and diversified membership. Thirteen new members were appointed and three members were reappointed to the Council this year.

8. The PaRC Web site continues to be a source for members and the public. This year the Web site hit new all time highs with 6,206 visits in the month of March. The site also added "skip navigation" which enhances ease of use of the Web site to speech user visitors.

9. Developed and distributed the PaRC Annual Report to the Governor, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania Legislators, and other interested parties.

10. Participated in the following stakeholder workgroups: Advisory Committee for the Blind, State Independent Living Council, Multicultural Committee, and the Advisory Committee for Persons Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The council's position papers are included in this report on the following pages.