) Post what the most needed resource is in the area in which you live.
2) Who would this resource best serve?
3) What is keeping this resource from being implemented
Rehabilitation and
Vocational Services
SWK 3302
Week Six
History
❖Vocational rehabilitation has been a public assistance program
for greater than 80 years.
❖In 1918, the passage of the Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Act
became the basis for the establishment of a civilian program to
serve individuals with physical disabilities.
❖While the programs were originally designed to help injured
soldiers facing employment issues, the Smith-Fess Act of 1920
established a similar program for civilians with disabilities.
❖While early rehabilitation programs focused on services to
individuals with physical or orthopedic disabilities, the
enactment of the Randolph-Sheppard Act of 1936 and the
Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act of 1938, designed programs for
persons with blindness and visual impariments.
History
❖The passage of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1954 ushered in
what is consider to be the “Golden Age” of rehabilitation, which
continued through the 1970’s.
❖Along with increases in funding, the development of professional
associations with codes of ethics and regulation of practices, occurred
during this period.
❖The 1973 Rehabilitation Act is regarded as the civil rights act for
persons with disabilities, as many of the congressional commitments
of the civil rights legislation were also found in this legislation.
❖Four areas were targeted in this legislation including: a) elimination
of discrimination hiring practices; b) elimination of physical barriers;
c) eliminations of against persons with mental and physical
disabilities with mandated affirmative actions plans; and d)
elimination of discrimination in programs and activities.
History
❖Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—considered landmark
legislation in that it provided additional federal civil rights
protection for people with disabilities.
❖1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments—formalized needed
changes to the 1973 Rehabilitation Act including the manner in
which services were offered and recognized individual
competence and required recipients be given choice in
services.
❖1998 Rehabilitation Act Amendments—was included as part of
the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and marked the first
time vocational rehabilitation initiatives were embodied in
another workforce development program.
Workforce Investment Act
❖The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) was the culmination
of an almost decade long negotiation process aimed at streamlining
and unifying the nation’s workforce development system.
❖The legislation involved several employment and training programs,
including the Job Training Partnership Act, Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act, Family Support Act, Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and the Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families Act.
❖The WIA combined more than 50 federal job training resources and
programs of the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and
Human Services.
❖It focused on two primary purposes: a) addressing the needs of
employers seeking skilled workers; and b) providing programs and
services to all job seekers seeking employment and career
advancement.
WIA One Stop Centers
❖A key component of the WIA, one stop centers began as
demonstration projects designed to address federal reports
highlighting a fragmented national employment and training
system.
❖Their initial focus was the consolidation of programs,
resources, and services into a form of “one stop shopping” for
both employers and potential employees.
❖The one stop centers provided universal access to all
individuals seeking employment, as well as to employers.
❖They were designed to bring job seekers to a central location
where a variety of employment and training services were
available.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
❖Early rehabilitation history reflected services which were motivated
by feelings of pity, one of the first themes seen in service delivery to
people with disabilities.
❖The second theme, indebtedness, began to emerge as soldiers
returned home from various wars. These soldiers were re-entering
civilian life with sometimes significant disabilities due to injuries
received while fighting. Vocational education services were
legislated in part by the Soldiers Rehabilitation Act of 1918 due in
part to a sense of debt owed to these soldiers.
❖The third theme, social investment, came about when the government
realized people who were availing themselves of necessary
governmental support needed help to re-enter the workforce. This
was done as a cost savings method, with the thought it would help
turn them into tax payers, as opposed to tax users.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
❖The 1950’s saw an expansion of services from people with
physical disabilities to people with intellectual disabilities and
mental illness as well.
❖In 1988, the Technology-related Assistance for Individuals
with Disabilities Act was signed into law. The purpose was to
expand availability of assistive technology services and
devices to people with disabilities.
❖The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 confirmed the
U.S.’s commitment to equal access for people with disabilities
to employment, transportation and public services and paved
the way for further employment options and protections for
people with disabilities.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
❖Supported employment is defined as “competitive employment
in an integrated setting with ongoing support services for
individuals with the most severe disabilities”.
❖Rather than advocating for a “place-then-train” approach to
employment, founders of this model challenged the prevailing
attitude by advocating for getting individuals with disabilities
job ready before securing employment.
❖Supported employment endures because of the continued
commitment to employment of people with significant
disabilities. It can take many forms and has morphed from its
initial use (people with disabilities) to an employment strategy
utilized by many populations.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
Nine Core Values for Supported Employment:
1. The belief that all people can work and have a right to work.
2. The idea that this work should occur within regular local
businesses.
3. The value that people should the supports they want.
4. The right to equal wages and benefits.
5. A focus on abilities, rather than on disabilities.
6. The importance of community relationships.
7. Personal determination of goals and supports
8. Challenging traditional service systems which do not
emphasize a consumer-driven perspective.
9. The importance of both formal and informal community
connections.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
❖Supported employment has challenged the widely held
perception that people with disabilities cannot work in
competitive settings.
❖Supported employment placement falls into one of two
categories: group placement and individual placement, with
individual placements being considered the most normalizing
and least restrictive.
❖Group placements are also known as enclaves, mobile work
crews, clusters and entrepreneurial models. They differ in
many ways including how supervision is handled, where the
group works and whether the group stays intact for each job or
is split for various jobs.
Community Rehabilitation and
Supported Employment
❖Individual placement is characterized by one person with a
disability working in a competitive setting of his or her choice,
supported by an employment specialist or job coach.
❖These job coaches play a number of roles including helping to
identify and develop interest and skill profiles, identify jobs
and careers which match their individual interests, skills and
choices, provide on the job training and supports and set up
long term supports.
❖Assistive technology is defined as “any item, piece of
equipment, or product system which his used to increase,
maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with
disabilities, whether these items are acquired off the shelf,
modified or customized.
Alcohol-Drug Treatment
Programs
❖It is estimated that 8% of Americans aged 12 and older can be
classified as having a substance abuse or dependence disorder.
❖While treatment options for these individuals are wide spread,
access can sometimes be difficult due to high demand and/or
limitations of public funding.
❖All human service professionals can expect to have clients
with alcohol and/or drug problems and will have occasion to
refer an individual to a treatment program of some kind.
❖Treatment programs approaches have varied from a historical
perspective, in accordance with moral attitudes and the
development of scientific knowledge.
Alcohol-Drug Treatment
Programs
Four Pivotal Historic Events
❖The emergence of the first addiction treatment centers, known
as inebriate homes and asylums during the late 19th century.
❖The drug prohibition movement in the U.S. which sought a
“legal cure” to alcoholism by initiating Prohibition.
❖The founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.
❖The opening of two narcotic treatment “farms” in the mid
1930’s by the federal government, marking the beginning of
federal direct involvement in addiction treatment.
Alcohol-Drug Treatment
Programs
Changing Perceptions of Alcoholism and the Alcoholic
❖During the 1930’s and 1940’s, multiple movements came together to
change the perception of alcoholism and the alcoholic.
❖Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 when two alcoholics
began to help one another with their problem. Meeting in small
groups, AA members strive to attain abstinence from alcohol as they
work through the twelve step program. AA has established local
groups worldwide, composed of alcoholics who offer each other
mutual aid and support.
❖The National Council on Alcoholism was established in 1944 by
Marty Mann after her own recovery from alcoholism. She published
two books in the 1950’s which included many concepts still in use
today.
Alcohol-Drug Treatment
Programs
Medical Influences on Treatment
❖In 1957, the American Medical Association (AMA) endorsed
the concept of alcoholism as a disease, due to the fact that
alcoholism follows a similar course in many individuals.
❖Medical detoxification, the process by which an alcoholic or
other drug addict withdraws from usage under medical
supervision occasionally with the brief use of tranquilizers,
became one of the most common and still widely used
treatment methods.
❖Pharmacotherapy interventions are commonly used and utilize
a variety of drugs to help with the treatment of alcoholism and
other drug addictions, such as heroin.
Peer Self Help Groups
❖Peer self help groups have come to occupy a prominent place
in treatment of addictions and are widely available in most
communities.
❖The majority of peer self help groups are modeled on the
highly successful Alcoholics Anonymous.
❖These groups offer guidance, support and solace to individuals
suffering from a variety of societal, behavioral and medical
conditions.
❖They are typified by their lack of formal, professional
leadership, acceptance of all who indicate an interest in change
and their emphasis on change occurring through active
participation within the structure of the program.
Peer Self Help Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous
❖The oldest and most well known of peer self help groups,
founded by Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson in 1935.
❖The sole criteria for AA membership is “a desire to quit
drinking”.
❖There are no dues, except for the dollar bills dropped in the
basket when it is passed to help pay for coffee, snacks and
literature for new members.
❖In urban areas, there are special meetings for many different
groups of people, such as professional groups, old-timer
groups, gay groups, Hispanic groups, women’s groups and a
host of others, depending on the area.
Peer Self Help Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous
❖A member’s participation in AA is grounded in the Twelve
Step program (see page 159-160 for a listing).
❖Just as the member participation is guided by the Twelve Step
program, the organization also uses the Twelve Traditions of
AA to help guide the functioning of the organization (see page
160-161 for a listing).
❖All members of AA use first names only to provide anonymity
for members, which helps to promote participation by persons
from all walks of life. The anonymity is the great leveler,
which places every member on an equal plane without regard
to social status or other factors.
Other Peer Self Help Groups
Al-Anon
❖Alcoholism is conceptualized as affecting not only the alcoholic, but
also the family. Individuals enmeshed in the problems of an
alcoholic are broadly referred to as codependent, and include
spouses, children, teenagers and more recently, adult children of
alcoholics.
❖The best known peer self help group for codependents is Al-Anon,
which was started in the 1950’s to offers support for spouses in an
alcoholic marriage.
❖The Al-Anon recovery program emphasizes independence,
abandonment of previously held control notions and detachment.
❖Although not officially affiliated with AA, Al-Anon also uses a
Twelve Step program and often schedules meetings to run
concurrently with AA meetings.
Other Peer Self Help Groups
Narcotics Anonymous
❖Started in the 1940’s after the success of AA upon realization
that a similar program could be beneficial to drug addicts.
❖The organization developed its own Twelve Step program and
Twelve Traditions program, also modeled after AA.
❖The core belief of NA is that members suffer from the disease
of drug addiction without recognizing any specific drug.
❖The addiction is considered to be lifelong, with the only
treatment being abstinence from any type of drug, including
alcohol.
Other Peer Self Help Groups
Cocaine Anonymous
❖The cocaine epidemic starting in the 1980’s resulted in the
establishment of Cocaine Anonymous.
❖This organization was also modeled on the AA twelve step
program and are typically found in larger urban areas.
Women for Sobriety
❖WFS was started to help specifically meet the needs of women
facing alcoholism.
❖The focal point of treatment is the “New Life Program”, which
promotes behavioral change through positive reinforcement,
positive thinking strategies, and wellness activities such as
meditation, diet, nutrition and exercise.
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
❖The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSID) program is
part of the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance
(OASDI) Program that was enacted in 1954. The program is
designed to insure workers against loss of income due to a
physical or mental disability.
❖SSDI benefits are paid to individuals and their dependents who
have been employed and have paid Social Security taxes for a
certain period of time. When individuals work, employees and
employers contribute to Social Security taxes that are reflected
on their pay stubs as Federal Insurance Contributions Act
(FICA).
❖As contributors, SSDI beneficiaries and their dependents may
receive benefits when they retire, become disabled, or die.
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖Social Security will provide SSDI benefits to qualifying
individuals who are retired and 62 years of age or older, who
are deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration
(SSA) when they satisfy the SSA’s eligibility requirements (see
pages 175-176) and cannot perform substantial gainful
activity/employment.
❖Benefits are also paid to spouses and children of deceased,
disabled or retired workers.
❖If a beneficiary is deemed legally competent, the benefits
payments are distributed monthly via check or direct deposit.
However, if a beneficiary is deemed unable to manage or
directly how their cash benefit should be managed, a
representative payee is selected to assist in the management of
the benefits.
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖SSDI is NOT a program based on financial need, consequently
there are no restrictions on unearned income. The monthly
benefits awarded to an individual will vary depending on the
level of contributions which have been paid into the program
by the individual.
❖Individuals earn credits as they work and contribute to the
program. In order to be qualified, they must met specific
criteria based on the age of the individual, the number of
credits accumulated and the period of time when credits were
accumulated (see pages 173-174).
❖Federal law required the SSA provide information about
individuals
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program authorized
by title XVI was established in 1974 to provide benefit
assistance to individuals who demonstrate economic need and
who are over the age of 65 or have a disability as defined by
the SSA.
❖The primary objectives in establishing the SSI Program are to:
provide a uniform, minimum income level that is at or above
the poverty line; to establish uniform, national eligibility
criteria and rules; to provide fiscal relief to the states; and to
provide efficient and effective administration.
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖In order to eligible for SSI, individuals must be deemed
disabled (as defined by the SSDI Program), blind (as defined
by SSA), 65 years of age or older, or any combination there of.
❖SSI benefits are not based on an individual’s work history, but
rather are determined by financial need.
❖The program is funded by the general fund of the U.S.
Treasury and operates in all 50 states.
❖Although it is administered by the SSA, states have the option
to supplement the basic SSI benefit as well as to decide to
administer the program themselves.
❖Individuals must be a resident of one of the 50 states, the
District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands; be a
citizen of the U.S. or an authorized alien; and not be a resident
of a public institution (with some exceptions).
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖The individual must not be absent from the U.S. for more than
a calendar month and must accept appropriate available
treatment such as vocational rehabilitation services.
❖The SSI program should be considered only as a last resort for
assistance and individuals are required to file any other
benefits they are receiving or eligible to receive.
❖Since the program is driven by financial need, the amount of
the individual’s income and resources is used to determine
both eligibility and the potential cash benefit the individual
would receive.
❖Since the program is driven by financial need, the dollar
amount an individual receives varies from person to person.
Social Security Disability
Insurance/Supplemental Security Income
❖The SSI program incorporates work incentives that enable
person who are blind or have other defined disabilities to join
or rejoin the workforce while receiving SSI (see page 181 for a
list of included SSI employment supports).
❖President Bill Clinton signed the Ticket To Work—Work
Incentives Improvement Act (TW-WIIA) in 1999.
❖The program provides health-care incentives and employment
service choices to promote work and independence among
individuals with disabilities receiving SSI and SSDI.
❖The program’s main purpose is to empower people with
disabilities and give them more control over where, how, and
from whom they would like to obtain employment and support
services.
References
Crimando, W. & Riggar, T.F. (2005). Community resources: A
guide for human service workers. Long Grove, IL:
Waveland Press, Inc.
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