Parallels In Time
A History of Developmental Disabilities

So, according to the Rehab Act, what is the role of a State Rehabilitation Council?

An SRC acts as a voice of consumers and other stakeholders in the public rehabilitation system.

The council advocates for the VR program to both the State VR agency and to the public at large.

It is important to understand that an SRC doesn't act as a critic of the VR agency.

It works in partnership with the agency toward a common goal - maximizing employment and independent living for people with disabilities.

Geoff Peterson, Chair of the SRC of Colorado VR, struggles to find the ideal relationship between his SRC and State Agency.

Geoff Peterson: You know, in the Rehabilitation Act it's sort of gone from being an advisory committee to being a partner.

I'm not sure exactly what that means. I'm not sure anybody does know exactly what that means. But I think, within each state, the State Agency and the SRC is going to have to define for themselves what that partnership is.

It's something we've been working on ever since that change went into effect.

Sometimes we're pretty close to partnership; sometimes we get a little further away from that. But, you know, I think the idea of partnership is key.

Narrator: Besides requiring this partnership, the Rehabilitation Act spells out the responsibilities and structure of SRCs in Section 105. It says they must have at least 15 members - although usually there are more - and the majority must be people with disabilities.

The members must represent a cross section of people with disabilities, related service agencies, disability advocates, and community businesses people.

In states with a separate VR agency for blindness, there may also be a separate SRC for that agency.

Tina Treasure, with the SRC for Oregon VR, finds the diversity of perspectives important, especially inclusion of a business perspective:

Tina Treasure: I think that's important because I think that VR partners not only include the SRC but employers.

They actually have two groups of people that they serve.

One are the clients, people with disabilities, and the other is the employer community.

The employer community brings the reality of what clients and VR counselors face in terms of misunderstanding of disability, fear on the part of employers, and an insight into how we can change that.

Narrator: The SRC meets at least 4 times a year, but may meet more often if it needs to.

At these meetings, the members review and evaluate the activities of the state rehabilitation agency.

This includes evaluating the agency's services, outcomes, policies, reports - anything that effects how the agency supports and responds to people with disabilities.

Based on this, committee members help the agency judge how well it is carrying out its responsibilities.

If the state agency decides to change any policies or procedures about VR services, it has to consult the SRC beforehand for a response.

Although the SRC and the State VR agency work as partners, the SRC will not always agree with everything the agency proposes.

This kind of feedback can sometimes be difficult for an agency to hear.

But Frank Lloyd, the Director for Nebraska VR, has come to realize how valuable it is.

Frank Lloyd: I think the thing that state agencies and directors in particular, need to be careful of is not to be defensive about criticism because ultimately, members of that rehab council and all VR staff want to have a good program, a quality program, that's consistent with the values and the principles of the law. I mean we all want the same thing, and so the issues arise in the "how do we achieve that?"

Narrator: Each year the SRC works with the state agency to develop performance goals and priorities for the agency.

At the end of the year, the SRC helps the agency review how effectively it performed towards meeting those goals and priorities.

SRC members also help the state agency amend its official Plan for VR services from the previous year, or develop a new Plan when necessary.

The State agency has to submit that Plan, plus any review comments from the SRC, to RSA each year.

If the agency disagrees with the comments from the SRC, it must include an explanation with its submission to RSA.

Stephaine Parrish Taylor is the Director for Oregon VR, but she has also served on the other side of the relationship, as chair of the Oregon Commission for the Blind. She says sometimes disagreements come with the territory.

Stephaine Taylor: And quite frankly I would be highly suspicious of a council in an agency relationship where there WEREN'T differences of opinion. I think that if you, you know, have a really good representation of people on your SRC, you're going to have differences of perspective and differences of opinion. And I think that's healthy.

Narrator: Every three years, the SRC and the agency cooperate on a comprehensive statewide assessment to see what kinds of VR services people with disabilities in that state need.

The SRC also conducts a review of both the effectiveness of the program - its services, functions, and employment outcomes - and of consumer satisfaction with the program.

If necessary, the Rehab Act gives SRCs the power to hold special hearings or other types of meetings.

SRC members use these information sources as a reality check to help the state agency meet its goals and priorities.

Marcia Cooper is Chair of the SRC for Maine's Division of Voc Rehab.

She sees this direct public input as a vital part of the process:

Marcia Cooper: The individuals and families of people with disabilities usually have the best solutions to solve problems. Because often we presume or make assumptions on what people need and what's best - with all the good intentions in the world. But we're not necessarily addressing what people truly want and consider priorities. And considering that money is always an issue, and respect is always an issue, we really, really need… to hear people.

Narrator: And finally, each year the SRC submits its own report on the agency's operations to the State Governor and to RSA.

According to Geoff Peterson, this report helps the SRC as well RSA

Geoff Peterson: A lot of the SRC work gets done in individual committees. We have, I think, three standing committees right now. And so, sometimes, being involved in that committee, members can loose, sort of, sight over what the rest of the SRC is doing in the other committees. And so it kind of brings all these different activities together and makes a whole out of it, so that people can sit back and say, "Well we really HAVE accomplished a lot."

Narrator: All of these responsibilities can be a lot for new council members to take in.

Jan LaBelle, Chair of the Florida SRC, remembers how confusing it can be:

Jan LaBelle: Probably the thing I say most to new council members on our council is ask questions and don't be afraid to ask questions, because nobody comes on to a council and joins the council understanding the entire big picture. And it can be very intimidating and daunting, and I think that if you feel that way, it means you're taking it seriously. And that's a really good thing.

There's acronyms and all kinds of terminology that I had not had first hand experience. A lot of the terminology was inside the agency or inside the VR system and the VR world and very, very foreign to me. And you hate to always raise your hand and say "Could you please not use an acronym?" Or "what is that?" But if you don't, you're really not going to be able to be an active participant.

Narrator: By promoting the creation of SRCs, the Rehab Act forces state agencies in two important directions.

First, each agency must get local, external perspectives on how it does its job.

Second, because of the diverse composition of the SRCs, each agency has to reach out to other service providers, community groups, and state agencies.

Jan LaBelle: And so I think that we sit at more tables than vocational rehabilitation does. And by our day jobs, we are exposed to far more things.

And I feel like the Rehab System needs to not have blinders on and needs to reach out anywhere and everywhere possible to employment networks and to parent organizations, to self-advocate / self-determinization groups, and, probably most importantly, to other state agencies.

Narrator: Geoff Peterson agrees, and says SRC members should take their job very seriously:

Geoff Peterson: If you're going to be on the SRC, you really need to make a commitment to be there to speak up; to disagree, to agree; to add your voice to this.

And I think if the SRC looks at that as a serious business, it's going to have much more effect on its dealings with Voc Rehab, will be a much more effective body in helping Voc Rehab do its job. It's an important thing that they do.

Narrator: The intent of the Rehabilitation Act is to create a public rehabilitation system that is both consumer oriented and consumer driven.

For practical purposes, the state must manage the day-to-day operation of the VR program.

But it is vital that consumers and advocates have an effective voice in this system at the highest levels.

The SRCs ARE that voice. They embody the essential partnership needed to make sure State VR services are truly consumer-focused.