Finding Jobs for People with Disabilities - Vocational Rehabilitation

There is a little known state agency called the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) available to help people with disabilities find employment. This program allows people with any type of disability to apply for services, and then they will be matched with a counselor who has a wide variety of resources available to help them find work. Although these agencies are often backlogged with people seeking services, there are still many people with disabling conditions that are not aware of its existence and the extent that it can potentially help. Below is a brief description of what DVR can do to help people return to work following injury, or go to work for the first time.


Different services that DVR can offer include; Job Placement,  Vocational Evaluation, Vocational Training, and Workplace Accommodation.


Job Placement services allow for the participant to work directly with a Job Placement professional who often has contacts with area businesses. Before reaching that point, however, the participant is trained in methods of producing successful resumes and presenting themselves well in job applications. The participant can also be trained to succeed in job interviews, and with written correspondence following interviews.


We at WRTWC conduct Job Placement for our clients, and are also contractors for DVR in Minnesota for this service.


Vocational Evaluation allows for clients to be sent to a contractor that specializes in Vocational Assessments, and provides a report detailing the clients skills and abilities as they relate to the world of work. The testing usually completed at an evaluation includes, Interest, Aptitude, Academic, Basic Skills, and Simulated-Work Samples. The goal of this testing is determine a vocational goal for the participant that is based on their ability and skill level, as well as their areas of interest.


Once again WRTWC offers Vocational Evaluation services in both Wisconsin and Minnesota for DVR as well as any other service provider. Our experts provide different levels of testing based on the requirements of the service provider, as well as personalized reports that aims to provide answers to any referral questions that may be asked.


Vocational Training is something that DVR can offer to participants that require more than the basic services to help them find a job. The DVR counselors will work with the participant to determine what type of training program would be most beneficial given their proximity to schools and the job market. The end goal of Vocational Training is to return to work in a physically and mentally appropriate situation, so the counselor must be knowledgeable about the job market.


Workplace Accommodation refers to the ability for DVR counselors to help ease the transition for someone to work through adaptations in their work setting. Accommodations can be as simple as a new chair for someone with a bad back, or raised computer screen. Often though, these types of Accommodations can be fairly technological and it has actually created its own niche industry. Some examples of what can be done is from the University of Wisconsin-Stout website: http://www.uwstout.edu/svri/tech.cfm They also conduct evaluations of their own to help determine what type of Accommodations would be most effective.


If you have any questions regarding anything listed here, contact your State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation office, or comment down below.