The Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Advisory Council (RAC) is pleased to present to you the 1996 Annual Report. This report is prepared and presented in accordance with Section 105(c)(4) of the 1992 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act which states:

• The state rehabilitation advisory council shall prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor and the Commissioner on the status of vocational rehabilitation programs operated within the State, and make the report available to the public.

The Pennsylvania RAC was established in 1993 as mandated under the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992. The Council provides citizen oversight to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and shares its dedication to the empowerment of persons with disabilities, particularly those with the most severe disabilities, so that they may realize their goals with respect to employment, independence, and integration into society.

The Rehabilitation Advisory Council reviews, analyzes, and makes recommendations regarding all aspects of the vocational rehabilitation program in Pennsylvania to the State Board and to OVR's Executive Director, Gil Selders. The Council actively monitors policies and programs to assure that they are customer driven and responsive to the identified needs of the individual, specifically, and of persons with disabilities in general. Customer satisfaction, timeliness of services, and satisfactory resolution of appeals have been particular areas of focus this year.

As we begin the new year, the Pennsylvania RAC looks forward to increased opportunities to present the vision of employment as the linchpin for full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community as a whole. We believe that an effective state vocational rehabilitation system is essential to achievement of this vision. We are honored to have a role in assuring that effectiveness.

Virginia Leonard

Chairperson, Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Advisory Council