| (a) Direct service responsibilities to persons with disabilities. (1) Vocational Rehabilitation Program. (A) This program prepares eligible individuals with disabilities for employment. Services include evaluations to determine vocational, educational, medical, and psychological abilities and needs; limited vocationally necessary medical treatment; training in trade schools, business colleges, rehabilitation centers, halfway houses, colleges, and universities; interpreter services for the deaf; job placement and assistance to employers in modifying jobs for persons with disabilities; and assistive technology devices such as wheelchairs, artificial limbs, and braces to improve functioning on the job. (B) Individuals served must have a physical or mental disability which results in substantial problems in getting and keeping a job; and vocational rehabilitation services are required by that person to prepare for,
get, or keep a job. (2) Extended Rehabilitation Services Program (ERS). (A) This program provides long-term employment support services. Other support services available are independent living skills training, transportation, and mobility training. (B) To be eligible, the individual must have a physical or mental disability that results in a substantial barrier to employment. This disability must require some type of ongoing support service in order for the client to obtain and maintain employment. The individual must be at least age 16. Eligible ERS clients, at the conclusion of employment training and placement, must be able to earn 15% of minimum wage. (3) Independent Living (IL) Program. (A) Independent living centers. (i) Nonresidential centers help persons with disabilities live in the community as independently as possible. IL centers are directed and staffed by a
majority of persons with disabilities. Core services, mandated by the Rehabilitation Act of 1992, as amended, are information and referral, advocacy, peer counseling, and independent living skills training. Services are either provided directly, or through referral, and may include attendant services, housing referral, transportation, recreational activities, and interpreter services. (ii) Services are available to persons with disabilities as well as individuals who are interested in disability-related issues. (iii) IL centers funded through the Texas Rehabilitation Commission (TRC) with state general revenue funds, are located in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Amarillo, Crockett, Fort Worth, Lubbock, and Pharr. An eleventh center in Odessa receives only direct federal funding. (B) Independent living services. (i) Ten IL counselors statewide deliver IL services directly to clients in
their immediate areas. IL services are available in the same cities where TRC-funded IL centers are located. (ii) IL services include adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs and environmental control systems, communication aids, modification of vehicles, and sponsorship of medical rehabilitation services. (iii) Eligible individuals must have a severe physical or mental disability which interferes with their ability to function independently, and there must be a reasonable expectation that IL services will substantially improve the individual's ability to function independently. Also, the individuals must have an economic need and cannot be eligible for either the Vocational Rehabilitation or Extended Rehabilitation Services Programs of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission (TRC). (4) Comprehensive rehabilitation services. (A) This program provides inpatient medical rehabilitation services for persons with
spinal cord injuries. It also provides inpatient and outpatient medical rehabilitation services for persons with traumatic brain injuries. It is designed to assist patients to achieve higher levels of independence and self-care. (B) Individuals served must have recently sustained a traumatic spinal cord or traumatic brain injury, not be eligible for services through other resources, have an economic need, and be reasonably expected to improve their independent functioning. (5) Services for persons who are deaf-blind and have multiple disabilities. Services include a residential program, a summer camp program, and parent training/counseling, in conjunction with the Texas School for the Blind. Residential services are for adults (age 18 and older) who are deaf-blind, have multiple disabilities, and who need 24-hour support for their daily living. Camp participants must be deaf-blind, have multiple disabilities, and be age six or older. Camp is
provided in two locations and during various weeks throughout the summer. Parent training is provided through an annual conference held in conjunction with the Texas School for the Blind and the Deaf-Blind Multihandicapped Association of Texas. Participants are parents of people who are deaf-blind and have multiple disabilities. Respite is provided for all siblings during this weekend conference. (6) Personal attendant services. Personal attendant services is a state-funded program designed to provide assistance on a sliding scale to persons who are severely disabled and have a job that is at risk, or for whom employment is unlikely without support. It is a pilot project that is only available in 19 counties. The program is a client-managed program that stresses independence and responsibility of the person with the disability. The program is limited to a maximum of 35 hours per week. (b) Service delivery data. For information on TRC programs call
Special Services at (512) 483-4060.
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