REAUTHORIZATION OF THE REHABILITATION ACT

Position Paper

It is the mission of The Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council (PaRC) to inform and advise the state board of vocational rehabilitation and the Governor on the diverse issues affecting vocational rehabilitation in our state. In working to fulfill this mission, one message becomes clear: The Rehabilitation Act plays an important and necessary role in empowering individuals with disabilities to become independent and integrated into the workplace and community.

The Rehabilitation Act is unique because it recognizes that equality of opportunity, a fundamental right in our society, is necessary to empower individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and integration into society. It focuses upon empowering individuals to realize their potential through individual achievement. This is different from other benefits legislation which only considers an individual's status when conferring benefits in order to achieve equality of outcome.

The Act is important because it promotes success and not dependence. This overarching goal is achieved through a strong federal/state partnership which recognizes the need for national unity on disability policy and local autonomy in the development and implementation of a state's rehabilitation program. Far from centralizing power in Washington, D.C., the Act provides states the freedom to administer programs which are responsive to the needs of its customers. In Pennsylvania, the OVR office in your congressional district is an excellent example of how this partnership can work to produce results. In 2003 alone, the federal, state and local taxes paid by competitively employed customers of OVR throughout Pennsylvania averaged approximately $47.9 million. This is the true measure of how the Act empowers individuals with disabilities to impact their communities in a positive way. Unlike most benefits legislation, the goal of the Rehabilitation Act is to help individuals become taxpayers and not tax users.

The Act cannot be reduced to job training legislation without destroying its essential character. It represents the keystone in the continuum of opportunity that is so important to the economic success of the estimated 600,000 individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania. Any fundamental change will render meaningless the right to an appropriate education that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) recognizes as the foundation for success in the workplace, and the right to compete in society free from discrimination as guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The PaRC believes that the Rehabilitation Act must be strengthened to provide customers greater flexibility and control over the services and programs available to them from state rehabilitation programs.

In this Reauthorization period we urge you to support efforts to:

public VR should remain a mandatory program with single source funding;
ensure that state rehabilitation programs focus on the goal of employment and job retention and not simply the process of providing services;
improved transition services for individuals with disabilities who are transitioning from school to higher education or from school to work;
promote career development and job advancement through the opportunity for post employment continuing education and training. This can be accomplished by expanding the definition of "post employment services" to include "training and other services necessary for career advancement and upward mobility". See 29 U.S.C. § 723(a)(18);
require mandatory review and analysis by the State Rehabilitation Council (SCR) of the effectiveness of, and customer satisfaction, with the provision of vocational rehabilitation services, so those individuals with the most significant disabilities are assured access to rehabilitation services. See 29 U.S.C. § 725(c)(4);
increase the independence and autonomy of the State Rehabilitation Councils (SRCs) to coordinate and direct policy making at the local, state and federal levels;
Continue to support the role of the Client Assistance Program (CAP) to ensure that all civil rights laws affecting the employment of individuals with disabilities in the public and private sectors are enforced. See 29 U.S.C. § 732(a) and;
expand the role of the state rehabilitation programs to develop, implement and coordinate a unified system of education and training for individuals with disabilities seeking employment.

Dated: March 2004

Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council
1902 Market Street Camp Hill, PA 17011
voice:717-975-2004
tollfree:888-250-5175
fax: 888-524-9282
tty: 888-559-2658
email: racucpca@parac.org