2011

State Rehabilitation

Council

Division of

Vocational

Rehabilitation

DELAWARE

ANNUAL REPORT

2

OUR MISSION

THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION

We provide opportunities and resources to individuals with disabilities that enable them to achieve

independence through employment.

THE STATE REHABILITATION COUNCIL

We are a consumer driven organization of members representing DVR Stakeholders.

Members are appointed by the Governor and provide advice and support

to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR).

SRC COUNCIL MEMBERS

Lisa Furber – Chair Community Legal Aid

Society

Doyle Dobbins – Vice Chair Advocate

Alexander Rose Dev. Disabilities Council

Norwood Coleman, Family Member

Keith Sargent, D.O. Consumer

Vickie Tulley Carelink Services

Charles Moore Client Assistance

Program/Consumer

Mark Feinour Bank Of America

Dale Matusevich Department of

Education

Marie-Anne E. Aghazadian Parent Information Center

Alice Coleman Workforce Investment

Board/Consumer

Jarrod Lippi Statewide Independent

Living Council/Consumer

Jennifer Ridgley Consumer

Brenda Rodriguez

DVR Counselor, Ex-Officio

Andrea Guest DVR Director,

Ex-Officio

Steve Huber Cape Henlopen School District

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State Rehabilitation Council of Delaware

for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Supporting Employment for Delawareans with Disabilities

February13, 2011

The Honorable Jack Markell

Governor of Delaware

Dover, DE 19901

Dear Governor Markell:

The State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) is proud to report that last year the Division of Vocational

Rehabilitation assisted over 1,100 individuals with disabilities to find competitive employment, with

948 individuals being employed for at least 90 days. That is the best results ever for DVR! One of the

keys to DVR’s success is its highly trained and dedicated staff of professionals: DVR Counselors,

their support staff, and Leadership Team are focused on one goal, employment.

The State Rehabilitation Council is an active partner with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

The State Rehabilitation Council provides a voice for people with disabilities in the First State who

look to DVR as their resource for inclusion into Delaware’s workforce. I would like to recognize and

thank the members of the council for their time, dedication, efforts and passion. Additionally, I

would like to thank our partners, the Department of Labor and the Division of Vocational

Rehabilitation for their hard work and advocacy for people with disabilities.

On behalf of the members of the Council, we would like to thank you for your strong support for

people with disabilities in Delaware, and for the opportunity to serve on this important council.

Sincerely,

Lisa Furber Lisa Furber, Chair

State Rehabilitation Council

State Rehabilitation Council of Delaware 4425 North Market Street P O Box 9969Wilmington, DE 19809-0960

Telephone (302) 761-8275 FAX (302) 761-6611 Voice/TTY

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Delaware DVR and State Rehabilitation Council “Partners in Employment”

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the State Rehabilitation Council are

partners in implementing a shared vision:

Assisting people with disabilities in Delaware to develop their talents and abilities

and find meaningful employment.

The State Rehabilitation Council plays an integral role with DVR is administering the

public vocational rehabilitation program, and evaluating DVR’s effectiveness in

providing VR services to people in Delaware with disabilities. Together, DVR and SRC:

Evaluate customer satisfaction with DVR services, and provide feedback;

Periodically assess the needs of people with disabilities in the state of Delaware;

Develop goals and priorities for DVR;

Conduct Public Meetings to gather recommendations from customers and stakeholders in the community

Provide information and share the DVR message with stakeholders and customers;

Evaluate DVR’s effectiveness in achieving our mission, and identify new directions.

The State Rehabilitation Council of Delaware

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SRC COMMITTEES

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is responsible for developing the agenda for full Council meetings. The committee addresses management issues relating to the function of the Council and provides oversight for the duties and responsibilities of Council and its committees and project teams as governed by the Rehabilitation Act. Membership Committee - Lisa Furber

The Membership Committee is responsible for recruitment of new SRC members to meet its representative requirements. SRC members represent people with disabilities, advocates and family members, employers, rehabilitation and education professionals. The Chair of the Council serves as the Chair of the Membership Committee. Recruitment efforts included maintaining a presence at area conferences, such as the Governors Committee Luncheon, and LIFE Conference; making presentations before disability related advocacy groups such as Partners in Policymaking.

Policy, Procedure, and Performance Committee – Don Moore

The State Rehabilitation Council has several members who participate on the DVR Policy committee, which develops policy and procedures for DVR client services. These SRC members are part of the Policy, Procedure and Performance committee. They include Don Moore, the Director of the Client Assistance Program, and Lisa Furber, the Chair of the SRC. This committee shares information on agency activities in developing DVR policies and procedures, and brings the SRC perspective to the Policy Committee. Government Relations Committee - Doyle Dobbins

The Government Relations Committee is responsible to stay aware of issues and activities of the various councils and committees within the state that address disability related issues; as well as monitoring legislative initiatives. The committee reports on noteworthy activities of other councils, the State Legislature, Congress, and facilitates Council’s advocacy on issues of concern. The committee coordinates SRC participation in the DVR budgeting and funding process.

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DVR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2011

ITS ALL ABOUT EMPLOYMENT

DVR had an exceptionally successful

year in 2011. DVR Counselors and

Employment Specialists assisted over

1,100 people with disabilities to find

employment in the community; and 948

people with disabilities completed 90

days or more of employment and were

successfully closed. This is the most

employment outcomes ever achieved.

QUALITY OUTCOMES

DVR counselors and clients work

together to achieve quality employment

outcomes that maximize the individual’s

potential. DVR helps individuals with

disabilities to become teachers,

counselors, accountants, builders, and

entrepreneurs. Annualized wages of 948

successfully employed individuals

reached $15.75 million, up from $12.48

last year. The average hourly wage of

those achieving employment outcomes

rose from $9.77 to $10.05.

People with significant or most significant disabilities counted for 92% of our total outcomes, up from the year before.

Supported Employment Services

DVR continues to focus on strategies to improve supported employment services. One innovative approach for transition students is Early Start to Supported

Employment, a collaboration between DVR, the Department of Education, the Division of Developmental Disability Services, and Community Providers. Services begin while student is still in school. The goal is a seamless transition from school to work. Cooperation and communication are a key to the success of this program, and DVR continues to find opportunities to work together to address the challenges to success. Ongoing training is an important element in success for Supported Employment generally, and Early Start specifically. DVR, DDDS, and DOE collaborate to provide a Supported Employment Training Program, to improve skills and share best practices.

803

705

948

0 500 1000

2009

2010

2011

E M P L O Y M E N T O U T C O M E S

Supported Employment Program

FY 2011 FY 2010 Participating

431 422

Employment Outcomes

97 75

Competitively Employed

100% 100%

Average Weekly Earning

$195 $190

Avg. Weekly Hours 22 23

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The Governors Committee on

Employment of People with Disabilities

On Thursday, October 13, the Governor’s

Committee on Employment of People with

Disabilities gave tribute their selection of

employers and employees of the year. The

luncheon & ceremony, held at the Chase Center

on the Riverfront gave tribute to Delaware

employers for their outstanding contribution and

efforts in recruiting, hiring, training and

accommodating individuals with disabilities and

employees with disabilities who serve as role

models through their dedication and

perseverance to maintain high standards for

success in employment

Kathy West-Evans, Director of the CSAVR

National Employment Network (the NET) was

the luncheon keynote speaker and her address

focused on this year’s theme “Profit by

Investing in Workers with Disabilities”. Ms.

West-Evans also facilitated a pre-luncheon

meeting for employment specialists from public

and non-profit programs. John McMahon,

Secretary of Labor, and Matt Denn, Lieutenant

Governor, also addressed the luncheon and

presented the recipients with their awards.

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Statewide winners:

Allied Barton Security - Employer

Pedro Toala - Employee

County Employer winners:

Wilmington Senior Center - NCC

Eagle Group - KC

M & T Bank - SC

County Employee award winners-

Brian Yarrusso - NCC

Sarah Temple - KC

Melvin Lee Freeman - SC

M&T Bank - 2011 Sussex County Employer of the Year. Nicholas Lambrow, receives award from Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and Sec. of Labor John J. McMahon Jr.

Sarah Temple- 2011 Kent County Employee of the Year photographed with Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and Sec. of Labor John J. McMahon Jr.

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Project SEARCH

DVR brought the nationally recognized Project SEARCH model to Delaware this past year. This highly successful model was developed in Cincinnati, Ohio and has been implemented in numerous other locations across the country. Project SEARCH is a one-year program for students in their final year of high school. It is a business-led, school-to-work program that is a collaboration with an employer, school district, community provider, and DVR. High school students participate in classroom activities and work experiences at the employer’s worksite.

DVR’s Project SEARCH site in Delaware is Christiana Care Medical Center in Newark. DVR Director Andrea Guest, Program Specialist Barbara Riley, and other members of the DVR team began a dialogue with representatives from school districts, community providers, employers, and other stakeholders, in order to put together a team of stakeholders who were willing to implement this model. Red Clay School District agreed to support and participate in this project, and provide a teacher onsite.

Goodwill Industries agreed to provide the support services and training at the worksite. They are primarily providing job coaching and job readiness skills training. Christiana Care agreed to make their worksite and their staff available to implement this model, with support from DVR Counselors onsite.

The students will have classroom training in the morning, and work at 3 or 4 different sites at Christiana Care’s Newark facility in the afternoon. They will be trained on a variety of different jobs at the hospital. Worksite rotations are based on the

student’s experience, interests, and abilities. Students will spend several weeks to several months at each worksite depending on the complexity of the job, tasks they need to learn, and how they perform.

After the student’s June graduation, they will be assisted to find jobs based on the skills they learned during the program. Christiana Care will recruit graduates who show particular promise. The initial year of the program began in August of 2011, with 9 high school students from different schools within the Red Clay District

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Customer Satisfaction

DVR conducts a customer satisfaction

survey to provide every client with the

opportunity to comment on his/her

experience with DVR after they have

completed their work with DVR,

whether or not they were successful in

their efforts at employment.

In FY2011, the overall satisfaction rate with

DVR services was 94% for those who

completed their plan and became successfully

employed. This is a 9% increase over last

year. Job satisfaction rose slightly to 87%. For

those who were not successful at finding

employment, the satisfaction rate with DVR was

88%. Specific comments were mostly positive,

some examples are:

DVR did their best to make sure I was up

and working!

I’m satisfied with the DVR program, I

enjoyed my counselor.

The program worked for me, I liked it.

Thanks DVR for all the help!

DVR Effectiveness Evaluation of FY2010

DVR and the State Rehabilitation Council

jointly conducted an evaluation of DVR’s

effectiveness on February 14, 2011 at the Fox

Valley DVR site. The results are as follows:

RSA Standards & Indicators

DVR provided information to SRC members on meeting federal standards and indicators. Data showed the following DVR results: Employment outcomes-705; Down from

prior year. Below RSA standard of 804; Rehabilitation rate- 69%, Exceeded RSA

standard of 55%; Employment in the community at or above

the minimum wage- 99%; Exceeded RSA standard of 72.6%

Avg. hourly wage- $9.77. Below RSA standard of 55% avg. wage in Delaware.

Minority service rates- 91%. Exceeded RSA standard of 80%.

Customer satisfaction 84%. No RSA standard

Successful outcomes with significant disabilities 92%. No RSA standard.

Rating. DVR was rated 4.5 out of 5.0.

Goals & Priorities

GOAL 1. Provide quality employment outcomes for people with disabilities. DVR assisted 705 individuals to find

employment, 22% less than the previous year.

The average hourly wage decreased from $9.89 to $9.77 in FY2010. For transition students improved to $9.08, up from $8.90 the year before.

Customer satisfaction- 84% liked their job, and 82% agreed the job matched their abilities and interest, up from 84% and 71%.

Self-employment outcomes increased modestly in FY2010 over the prior year.

Rating. DVR was rated 4.5 out of 5.0

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GOAL 2. Support training programs that

reflect opportunities in the labor market.

In FY2010, several new training programs were

available to people with disabilities:

The Opportunity Center, Inc. partnered

with Embassy Suites in Newark to provide

a training program at the hotel

Connections, CSP developed a Culinary

Arts Training Program

VLS IT is providing computer technology

training to DVR clients

Lee Institute provided Home Health Aide

training specifically for people with

disabilities.

Rating. DVR was rated 4.0 out of 5.0

GOAL 3. Expand opportunities for students

to transition from school to work.

The DVR Transition Program served 1,985

students in FY2010. DVR counselors are in all

high schools. The number of students

successfully employed rose to 286. The number

of high school seniors entering the transition

program increased to 648 in FY2010.

DVR and the Christiana School developed a pilot project to provide services to students with Asperger’s Syndrome in three high schools: Newark, Glasgow, and Christiana. Students start services prior to 11th grade. The program provides services to ensure students graduate; improve transition to post-secondary life and employment. A student centered approach is used; a team consists of the student, parent, DVR counselor, school staff, service providers and others who meet regularly. Rating. DVR was rated 4.0 out of 5.0

GOAL 4. Identify funding sources to maintain

new initiatives.

DVR was awarded a three- year Disability Employment Initiative Grant from the United States Department of Labor. DVR has hired four Disability Resource Coordinators that will assist individuals with disabilities access one-stop resources. Their emphasis will be on reaching transition age youth, especially those with multiple barriers: Those leaving child mental health services; those exiting youth rehabilitation services; high school dropouts; and those leaving foster care programs. Rating. DVR was rated at 4.0 out of 5.0.

Overall Rating.

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is

effective in administering the public vocational

rehabilitation program in Delaware and

implementing jointly developed goals and

priorities.

FY 2012 GOALS & PRIORITES

DVR and the SRC reviewed and revised the

goals and priorities for the upcoming year:

1. Provide quality employment outcome for people with disabilities.

2. Support training programs that reflect

opportunities in the labor market.

3. Expand opportunities for students to transition from school to work.

4. Identify funding resources to maintain

new initiatives

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200Employment Outcomes

$609,122

391,107

3,062,464

239,970

77,089 696,959

17,621

Purchased Services

Assessment

Physical & Mental Restoration

All Training

Maintenance

Transportation

Placement

Miscellaneous

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New Castle County

Wilmington

TTY/Voice – (302) 761-8275

Newark

TTY/Voice – (302) 368-6980

Middletown

TTY/Voice – (302) 378-5779

Kent County

Dover

TTY/Voice - (302) 739-5478

Milford

TTY/Voice- (302) 430-7721

Sussex County

Georgetown

TTY/Voice – (302) 856-5730

DVR Offices