Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) has been a source of work opportunities for the American deaf community since the end of World War II. VR is widely known in the deaf community and it receives both praise and condemnation. Many complaints center on funding levels. VR programs are federally funded, but managed by individual states. Budget considerations mean the range of available services can vary from state to state, as college students who compare notes on VR services know.

Some of these services include training and educational support, job referrals, purchase of assistive technology, help dealing with defaulted student loans, counseling, supported employment and more.

According to the National Assistive Technology Advocacy Project, VR services are defined as any services, described in an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), which are necessary to assist an individual with a disability in "preparing for, securing, retaining, or regaining an employment outcome that is consistent with the strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice of the individual."

That's quite a tall order.

If you're looking for work, or you are underemployed and want to move on to something better, VR is one way to make it happen. But getting help from VR takes time. There's a lot of paperwork - this IS a government agency, after all - and they have procedures they're required to follow - determining eligibility, evaluating options, developing an IPE, and discussing a plan of action with you. All of this can take several weeks, even months.

Like any venture, your chances of success are best if you go in with a plan. That's what the IPE is all about - laying down a step by step plan with a clear goal. The IPE will set down in writing what VR will do for you, and what you are expected to do toward your goal. Some of the things that go into the plan include:

Your Employment Goal
Obviously this should be realistic. If your employment goal is to become a NASCAR race driver and you have a record of wrapping vehicles around trees, your VR counselor might hesitate to agree with your plan.

Part of the evaluation process is assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and the VR counselor may make some recommendations based on this. You may not like the recommendations. That's ok - you're entitled to disagree. VR's recommendations are not orders. You can negotiate on what would be a realistic goal, and if you're butting heads with your counselor over goals, you can ask for a different counselor. In the end you're working for a goal that is realistic, achievable and - very important - motivating for you.

VR's Commitment
The money for VR comes from taxpayers, and they reasonably want that money to be spent wisely. The money you receive from VR for equipment, training and education is an investment in you. VR will list specifically what services you'll receive to assist you in your career. Typically these will be things like help getting interpreting services, hearing aids, communication devices, going to school, vocational training and counseling to deal with problems on the job.

Timeline
Part of any plan is a timeline for achieving the goals in the plan. You have one big goal at the end of the timeline - finding work. In between the beginning and that big goal, you have smaller goals along the way. If VR helps you go to college, then your timeline could run to five years.

Some of your goals within that time will include choosing a school, working out living arrangements while attending school, purchasing textbooks and perhaps a laptop, maintaining good grades and a strong grade average, perhaps working at internships and during the summers for extra income and experience, graduating, and beginning the job search. Having all these goals on paper with a schedule helps you remain focused on what you're doing and why you're doing it.

Evaluation
You will be accountable to VR to make good progress toward your goals. If you have trouble meeting some goals as you go, VR can work with you, but only up to a point. If you're slacking badly and ignoring the expectations, you can expect to see VR support go bye-bye. Don't be shocked, for example, if VR cuts you off when your grades at school get too low. If you're working in a supported employment program and you aren't showing up for work consistently, VR isn't going to work for you either.

Post-Employment Assistance
You find work. You're happy, VR's happy, the taxpayers are happy - you're one of them now. But VR support doesn't end there. If you have problems at work, VR can help resolve them. They can't settle all the possible problems that come up, but problems related to communication on the job are directly relevant to your work, so that especially is an area where you can seek help. Don't hesitate to use it when you need it.

There is a great deal more to learn about VR services, but this overview gives you some idea of what to expect and the links below will help you contact VR. Talk to other people who have worked with VR, and remember that VR has to balance the number of clients they have with the money available in their budgets - so not everyone gets what they want.

It's tough to make everyone happy, so you can expect that some people will gripe. But there are plenty of people who found good jobs with VR's help, and if you want to be one of them, just bring your patience, persistence, and determination.