Give your feedback 

The Department of Services for the Blind is seeking your input on a draft version of its four-year plan for implementation of vocational rehabilitation services, on the DSB web site. See below for ways to comment.

Overview 

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 reauthorized the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and maintained funding for the vocational rehabilitation activities through the Department of Services for the Blind.  The law also consolidated job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), amended the Wagner-Peyser Act, and reauthorized adult-education programs. The emphasis within the law is for all workforce partners to deeply collaborate to streamline services and improve outcomes for a shared customer base. Within WIOA, there is an added emphasis on youth services, universal accessibility, serving communities with barriers, and effective engagement with business for all partner programs.
All workforce partners under WIOA in Washington State will collaborate on a combined state plan as an agreement with the federal partners on how the law will be implemented in the state. The combined state plan, entitled “Talent and Prosperity for All”, has a number of components: a strategic component, a shared operational component, and specific attachments for each of the individual partner agencies. The vocational rehabilitation attachment requires DSB to provide responses to specific area questions.

The Department of Services for the Blind has also submitted a draft response to the combined operational component of the state plan, attached to this email and on the DSB web site, which will later be merged with the responses of the other core partner groups.

For your interest, there are other draft components to the state plan also available for your review and comment:

• The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation vocational rehabilitation state attachment is located at link DVR state attachment

How to Comment on DSB’s Draft VR State Plan Attachment:

Comments can be sent to comments@dsb.wa.gov. Email comments will be accepted until January 27, 2016.

The Department of Services for the Blind and the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind will also host a phone conference to accept public comment and answer questions about the draft.

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2016
Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Toll free: 800-379-6841 (FREE)
Passcode: 679809#

For questions or to make a Reasonable Accommodation request:
Email:  comments@dsb.wa.gov
call toll-free: 1-800-552-7103.