Annual report, 2014 [2014]

Georgia
State Rehabilitation Council 2014
Annual Report
Looking to the future

Greetings from the SRC Chair
Honorable Janet LaBreck, Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration; Honorable Nathan Deal, Governor of Georgia; Stakeholders and Citizens of Georgia - I bring you greetings on behalf of the Georgia State Rehabilitation Council (SRC). We are pleased to present our annual report for federal fiscal year 2014.
This report contains information about our Council and focuses on our activities from October1, 2013 September 30, 2014 in collaboration with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) and the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program to enhance the programs that assist individuals with disabilities achieve their dreams of employment and independence. We are proud of our partnership with them and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services Board. Report highlights include four SRC members who received VR services in the past and joined the ranks of many VR success stories; AutoZone as Employer of the Year; Muskogee Vocational Rehabilitation Program accomplishments; and Georgia VR achievements.
We are confident that by working together, we will continue to help GVRA and the VR Program contribute to Governor Deal's goals for Georgia in education and a growing economy by preparing individuals with disabilities to achieve their education and employment goals while enabling employers to meet their workforce needs.
Kathy Carlisle, SRC Chair
Vision, Mission and Values
SRC Mission - To collaborate with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency in planning and providing comprehensive and effective services that assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their employment goals and contribute to Georgia's economy.
SRC Vision - To be a strategic partner with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency to make Georgia the best state for people with disabilities to live, work and thrive.
SRC Philosophy and Values - We believe individuals with disabilities should have equal opportunity for employment and participation in their communities. All people deserve the best; therefore, these are the cornerstones which we value: Meaningful Work, Inclusion, Informed Choice, Self Determination Trust and Integrity, Positive and Effective Change and Purposeful Collaboration.

SRC Members and the Categories They Represent
Robin Blount--Parent Training and Information Center John Hall--Individuals with Physical Disabilities Kenneth Slade--Business Kathy Carlisle (Chair)--Individuals with Disabilities who have Difficulty Representing Themselves Liza Leiter--State Workforce Investment Board Peggy Venable (Vice Chair)--American Indian VR Program Christopher Moder--Business Lewis Wheaton--Business David Cole--Business Joy Norman--Individuals with Hearing Impairments Kayla Wilson--Former Vocational Rehabilitation Client Anisio Correia--Individuals with Visual Impairments Steve Oldaker--Statewide Independent Living Council Greg Schmieg (Ex-Officio)--Director of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Deanie Fincher--Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities Jennifer Page--Client Assistant Program Dana Skelton-Sanders, CRC--Qualified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Deborah Gay--State Department of Education James Radford--Local Workforce Investment Board Nominees being considered by Governor Deal: Mike Pryor--Community Rehabilitation Programs; Deborah Lovell--Individual with Visual Impairments

VR Success Stories
Not only are members of the Georgia State Rehabilitation Council dedicated servants, some members of the Council were also VR clients. Here are their stories.
Dana Skelton-Sanders
In 1988, Dana was 17 years old when a car accident resulted in an acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) that left her in intensive care and in a coma for over two weeks. The TBI impacted Dana's short term memory and resulted in major cognitive limitations, lack of stamina, and panic attacks with seizures. After a year of intense cognitive, occupational and physical therapy, Dana was ready to resume her plans to attend college and begin the next phase of her life.
Dana's doctors and therapists indicated that she may never be able to function well enough to live on her own, attend college, or be a productive citizen and work. Then came VR. Dana's VR Counselor helped her learn to work with her disability and obtain accommodations for college. Dana learned to hear, see, write, and say new material repetitively for her brain to retain the information. She audio taped lectures, obtained notes prior to the class, and had extra time for assignments. Dana still uses the techniques she learned to be successful in college on the job as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.
With accommodations, Dana was able to complete an associate's degree in marketing from Gainesville State College and a bachelor's degree in marketing education from the University of Georgia. Soon after, Dana realized teaching wasn't for her. VR assisted her to refocus her vocational goal and get a job at the local Department of Family and Children Services. As soon as a position became available in VR, Dana applied. In 2004, she was hired and began attending the University of Kentucky in 2005 to obtain her master's in rehabilitation counseling. She obtained accommodations and graduated in 2006 with a 3.92 GPA; she also passed the Rehabilitation Counseling Certification with accommodations.
"I just needed a little more time, accommodation, or a different method, or way to get things done," she said. "Today I can give back to those like myself and help them to accomplish goals in their lives. I believe I would not be where I am today if it were not for VR."
Steve Oldaker
Steve came to VR in 1989 for services after an auto accident resulted in a paralyzing spinal cord injury. VR provided transportation, housing and care assistance for Steve to complete computer programming school which led to a career with the federal government in several IT positions. Steve is forever grateful and believes this would not have happened without VR.

VR Success Stories Continued

Joy Norman

employment.

Joy sought services from Vocational Rehabilitation in 1995. She was already a student at Columbus State University pursuing an undergraduate degree in health science. While Joy was born with a mild to moderate hearing impairment, she had never worn a hearing aid. But in 1995, she began to experience significant hearing loss which began to affect her ability to comprehend what was being said in the classroom. Joy was extremely worried about how she would be able to finish my degree, much less find

VR sent her to a specialist to be evaluated for her hearing loss, which was severe to profound by that time. Joy was fitted for hearing aids, which VR paid for. VR also paid for her books for college. Because her GPA was high enough, Joy qualified for the Hope Scholarship, so VR didn't need to pay any tuition. Pat King was the VR deaf counselor at the time. Learning to live with her deafness and continuing to follow her goals of a college education was extremely challenging. Pat not only provided Joy with the services she needed, but she was also there to support her by showing Joy she believed in her. Joy always left their meetings with the affirmation she needed.

Joy now has her master's degree in counseling, and she has been employed for 13 years by Columbus State University as the director of the Office of Disability Services.
Kayla Wilson
Kayla Wilson came to VR in 2006 to address limitations resulting from a learning disability. VR provided services while she was in high school and college including audio books, a testing lab to give her extended time alone to take tests and various programs to help with her reading and writing assignments. These modifications helped Kayla succeed, and she graduated from Georgia Southern in 2012. After graduating, VR assisted her in preparing her resume for her job search. Kayla is now successfully employed as an accounting manager for Sherman and Hemstreet Real Estate, a major commercial real estate firm in Augusta. Since graduating and obtaining a job, Kayla travels Georgia speaking to high school students with disabilities about her struggles throughout school, self advocacy, post secondary education, and employment after graduation. Kayla has a passion to help, advocate and volunteer for programs assisting people with disabilities. Because of Kayla's hard work and dedication she has been awarded the Harrison Sylvester Award for 2015.

"With my learning disability, college seemed like an insurmountable task," she said. "Fortunately along the way, my VR advocates, counselors and several inspirational instructors helped me make my dreams become my reality."

SRC Meetings and Activities
The Georgia SRC held four meetings during FFY 14 that were open and accessible to the public. Most of the meetings were in Atlanta this year due to budget constraints. Between meetings SRC members visited local VR offices and talked with staff and clients; reviewed documents and provided input via email; attended meetings of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services Board and various stakeholders; participated in teleconferences and webinars; and recruited and selected nominees for new members. The SRC meetings are described below.
October 2013 Atlanta: SRC members refined their mission, vision and values; received updates on the budget and on the VR waiting list; discussed the VR policy review process, eligibility and order of selection; learned about the federal VR performance standards and indicators and made recommendations in support of VR efforts to improve performance; reviewed the VR State Plan goals, objectives and strategies; discussed requirements for public hearings; reported on their VR office visits and made recommendations to VR leaders based on their findings.
January 2014 Atlanta: SRC members discussed the timeline for the VR State Plan and began planning for their input; heard updates on GVRA and the VR Program; worked on SRC committees; made recommendations for GVRA communications and marketing; and met with legislators at the Capitol to educate them about the employment needs of individuals with disabilities and the return on investment for VR services.
April 2014 Warm Springs and Pine Mountain: SRC members learned about the VR activities and services at the Roosevelt Warm Springs (RWS) center and the positive changes happening with RWS; participated in team building activities led by RWS student leadership council representatives; received a GVRA legislative and communications update; drafted the final SRC input to the VR State Plan; learned about statewide independent living services and needs from the Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council; received an update from the GVRA Executive Director on progress and implementation of prior SRC recommendations; and discussed recruiting SRC nominees for new members.
September 2014 Atlanta: SRC members met the managers and discussed opportunities for collaboration with the GVRA Business Relations Unit and the Constituent Services Unit; received an update from the VR Director focusing on performance data with plans and strategies for improvement; discussed a potential policy update on the VR order of selection; planned the SRC Annual Report; heard a report from the Client Assistance Program; and learned about new VR collaborations and plans for expanded supported and customized employment.

SRC Meetings and Activities
Teamwork is the name of the game, and the Georgia State Rehabilitation Council certainly has it. In September of 2013, the SRC traveled to Warm Springs where they heard from students and interacted with them in activities to help develop a sense of teamwork and community. The pictures above were taken on that visit.
Muskogee Vocational Rehab
The mission of the Muskogee Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) Program is to empower American Indians with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self sufficiency, and independence. This mission is achieved by a variety of training mechanisms, client participation, and culturally appropriate services, in conjunction with federal, state and local assistance. Peggy Venable, Director of the MVR Program is the Vice Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council. She leads MVR in working closely with the State of Georgia VR Program to jointly serve clients who meet the criteria for eligibility of both programs.
A success story shared by both programs in 2014 is Crystal, who faced single parenthood prior to completing high school along with the challenges of her
disability. Crystal worked with her MVR counselor to graduate from high school with her class and attend college where she completed her associate's degree in criminal justice. In addition to counseling and guidance, the VR programs assisted her with mileage and tuition that was not covered by the PELL grant. Crystal was allowed to do her internship with one of the tribal members, a chief of police in a nearby town. She is currently employed full time as an asset protection assistant at Walmart and plans to return to college next year to obtain her Bachelor's Degree.

AutoZone: Employer of Year
SRC member David Cole is the General Manager of the AutoZone Distribution Center (DC) in Lavonia, Georgia, a leader in employing individuals with disabilities. AutoZone, founded 35 years ago, has grown to over 5,300 locations in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico with over 74,000 employees known as AutoZoners. There are eight DCs in the U.S. plus one in Mexico. The Lavonia DC has more than 400 fulltime AutoZoners plus more than 50 temporary employees at any one time. This DC has a variety of positions in engineering, routing, logistics, maintenance and administration.
AutoZone's commitment to diversity is a founding value of the company. With that commitment and the need to fill vacancies with qualified dedicated individuals, David and Human Resources (HR) Manager Rhonda Barton explored opportunities to hire people with disabilities by attending the Walgreens DC "Boot Camp" and partnering with VR and Goodwill Industries of North Georgia. In 2012 the Lavonia DC team created the "People with Abilities" (PWA) Program. The Goodwill Job Coach, Michael Young spent many hours on site to learn every aspect of each job to be able to provide the coaching needed for PWA candidates to successfully perform those jobs.
David and his team made sure to communicate about the program to the DC AutoZoners all at the same time prior to implementation. It was important for them to know that PWA candidates would be expected to perform the same essential job duties as everyone in the same position, and that all AutoZoners would be treated equally. AutoZone leaders are gratified that all AutoZoners support the program and want to see PWA candidates succeed. The program has increased morale and become a point of pride for all AutoZoners. One key to the success of PWA is that volunteer AutoZoners "adopt" the PWA candidates and mentor them during on the job training and continue the relationship after the PWA candidate is a full time AutoZoner. Since starting PWA, the Lavonia DC worked with approximately 40 candidates with disabilities and hired 14 full time PWA AutoZoners.

AutoZone Continued
David and his team led the roll out of the PWA across the AutoZone supply chain during the later part 2012, and there are fulltime PWA AutoZoners in all of the DCs now. When Rhonda became a DC Operations Manager, Tina Tucker became HR Manager to continue the momentum of PWA. Tina is very enthusiastic about how this program assists her to meet AutoZone's workforce needs with diverse, quality employees. Goodwill and AutoZone made an excellent short video of success of PWA that can be found on the GVRA website at www.gvra.ga.gov. One AutoZoner who is a PWA success is highlighted in the video with his manager who says he is one of the best employees there first to arrive and last to leave every day.
The Lavonia AutoZone team shares key points about PWA including: Everyone is not for AutoZone and AutoZone is not for everyone, so as PWA candidates gain confidence and experience, some may choose to leave the company; VR and other state and federally funded programs play a huge part in the flow of PWA candidates; Rural counties are more challenging as no VR offices may be located nearby; Lack of public transportation is a challenge; Communication, drive and determination are needed daily; and Job coaches are crucial to the success of the program.
Based on the growth and success of PWA, in 2014 AutoZone was recognized with two awards: the Georgia Rehabilitation Association Employer of the Year and the Goodwill Employer of the Year for Georgia.
Looking forward to 2015, David and his DC team are leading the national AutoZone program. HR Director Tina Tucker is responsible for the details of this leadership and is implementing a standard tracking process. They have partnered with the National Organization on Disability to enhance the network of job coach providers and help increase the number of candidates for the PWA programs nationwide. Additionally, they are developing a relationship with the Wounded Warrior Project to identify veterans with disabilities who could be candidates for PWA. Locally, they are partnering with Georgia VR services to visit local schools in Hart, Stephens and Franklin Counties to talk with administrators, school counselors and teachers about the job opportunities AutoZone could provide for transitioning students with disabilities.
As a corporate leader, AutoZone set goals for each DC nationwide to hire 18-24 full time AutoZoners through PWA by the end of fiscal year 2015. David and his team are optimistic that the DCs will achieve this goal, and they hope to possibly expand the PWA program to all AutoZone locations. The Lavonia AutoZone team encourages other employers to hire individuals with disabilities, and the team is always willing to share their experiences leading to success. The Georgia SRC applauds AutoZone and supports its efforts to expand the PWA.

GVRA & VR Achievements
During its second year as an independent agency, GVRA and VR collaborated with the SRC and community partners to tackle the challenges resulting from the transition with VR closing all priority categories for services and managing a greatly reduced budget. The SRC commends the agency for the following positive achievements and looks forward to continuing the teamwork in these areas in 2015:
VR collaborated with Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) to call clients on the waiting list and quickly reengage them in the VR process for VR to expeditiously serve them. This partnership enabled VR to efficiently reduce the waiting list from 8,300 to zero.
GVRA created a Constituent Services Unit to serve as a bridge to effectively meet the needs of customers and ensure that they receive excellent service in a timely manner and in accordance with all applicable regulations and policies.
GVRA hired a Business Development Manager and VR reorganized with a Director of Business Relations and a refined Business Relations Unit to assist more employers to meet their workforce needs with higher wage jobs for individuals with disabilities.
The High School/High Tech Program expanded to 72 schools providing over 3,800 transition activities to 746 students with disabilities, the highest number to date. Of those, 109 students won the competition for computers to assist them in furthering their education.
GVRA renovated, refurbished or moved VR field offices to more appropriate spaces and closed offices that were far from clients. VR also provided technology to counselors to more effectively serve clients in convenient locations.
GVRA and VR implemented a plan to increase the salaries of Certified Rehabilitation Counselors.
VR collaborated with Kennesaw State University Inclusion Program to develop a cooperative agreement for a VR Counselor to be onsite to serve students with developmental disabilities.
GVRA and VR collaborated with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to increase and enhance services for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and for those with developmental disabilities.
VR collaborated with Bobby Dodd Industries, a CRP in Atlanta, to develop a pilot program targeting transition students with significant disabilities who typically drop out of the program after graduating from high school. This pilot will keep them involved through social media and online technology for job clubs and other activities leading to employment.

Total Clients Served by Age and Gender

Ages

Served % Served Female Female % Male

Male %

18 & Under 18-24 25-30 31-39 40-54
54 & Over Totals

498 12,096 3,185 2,678 4,824 2,624 25,905

1.922 % 46.694 % 12.295 % 10.338 % 18.622 % 10.129 %
100 %

177 4,735 1,427 1,254 2,521 1,415 11,529

.68 % 18.28 % 5.51% 4.84 % 9.73 % 5.46 % 44.50 %

321 7,361 1,758 1,424 2,303 1,209 14,376

1.24 % 28.42 % 6.79 % 5.50 % 8.89 % 4.67 % 55.50 %

Total Clients Served by Race and Ethnicity

Total: 25,905

Unknown 0%(64)

White
48%
(12,314)

Asian 1%(253)

Black 46% (11,948)

Pacific

Islander Multi-Racial

0%(90)

1% (225)

Hispanic
Alaskan Indian 3%(886) 1%(125)

VR Expenditures FFY 2014

Services Purchased by GVRA ($9.2 mill) 15%

Services Provided by BEP 3%
Administration 20% ($12.7 mill)

Agency-Operated CRP Staff 21%
($12.8 mill)

Field Office Staff ($25.1 mill) 41%

Total: $59.8 mill

At the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, it is about the people we serve. Our goal is to make Georgia the very best State in the Union for persons with disabilities regarding employment and independence.

GVRA Mission: Employment and independence for Georgians with disabilities.

GVRA Vision: Every Georgian with a disability can work and live independently.

Inquires related to the State Rehabilitation Council can go to:

Daronne Patterson Strategic Planning Manager External Affairs Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency 200 Piedmont Avenue, SE | West Tower, 10th Floor | Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404.232-1882

www.gvra.ga.gov



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