Assessment

NC DIVISION OF SERVICES FOR THE BLIND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION

Individuals served by the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program will be informed about the availability of assessment Services. The service of Assessment is included in the Scope of Vocational Rehabilitation Services available to individuals. It is utilized for determining both Eligibility and VR needs. Assessment must be done by qualified personnel. It may also include, as appropriate, assessment by personnel skilled in assistive rehabilitation technology.

Applicants and eligible individuals must be provided assistance in exercising Informed Choice in decisions related to the provision of assessment services.

It is the responsibility of the qualified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to determine eligibility and VR needs. In order to do so, an assessment must be conducted, as appropriate, in each case. The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor will:

1. Review existing data-to determine whether the individual is eligible for vocational rehabilitation services and to assign priority for an Order of Selection if applicable.

2. Provide diagnostic, assessment, and evaluation services, including vocational evaluation, to develop the Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) (On-Line DSB-4005b-VR Individual Plan for Employment with instructions).

3. Provide essential support services necessary for the individual to access DSB-sponsored diagnostic, assessment, and evaluation services. Essential support services can include, but not be limited to, Transportation (including Guide Services), Personal Assistance Services (PAS), Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology Services, and others.

4. Provide interpreter services and other appropriate modes of communication, as appropriate, to enable the individual to comprehend and respond to information being communicated during the VR process.

5. To the extent necessary, provide appropriate assessment activities to obtain necessary additional data in order to make an eligibility determination and order of selection assignment.

6. Provide a comprehensive assessment to determine the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice (including the need for Supported Employment [SE] [SES]) of the eligible individual. This is done to the extent additional data is necessary to make a determination of the employment outcome, and the objectives, nature, and scope of VR services to be included in the IPE.

7. Refer the individual for provision of assistive technology services, in order to assess and develop the capacities of the individual to perform in a work environment; and explore the individual's abilities, capabilities, and capacity to perform in work situations, including experiences in which he/she is provided appropriate supports and training. The individual abilities to perform in work situations must be assessed periodically during Trial Work experiences.

A comprehensive assessment:

1. is limited to information necessary to identify the rehabilitation needs of the individual and to develop the IPE of the eligible individual;

2. uses as a primary source of such information to the maximum extent possible and appropriate and in accordance with Confidentiality requirements:

a. Existing information obtained for the purposes of determining eligibility and assigning priority for an order of selection; and

b. Such information as can be provided by the individual and, when appropriate, by the individual’s family.

3. may include, to the degree needed to make such a determination, an assessment of the:

a. Personality, interests, interpersonal skills, intelligence, and related functional capacities;

b. Educational achievements;

c. Work Experience and vocational aptitudes;

d. Personal and social adjustments;

e. Employment opportunities of the individual; and

f. The medical, psychiatric, psychological, and other pertinent vocational, educational, cultural, social, recreational, and environmental factors that affect the employment and rehabilitation needs of the individual.

4. may include, to the degree needed:

a. An appraisal of the patterns of work behavior of the individual; and

b. Services needed to acquire occupational skills and to develop work attitudes, work habits, work tolerance, and social/behavior patterns necessary for successful job performance. This includes the utilization of work in real job situations to assess and develop the individual’s capacities to perform adequately in a work environment.

Once the individual’s determination of eligibility for VR services is completed, the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and the individual should develop, sign, and put into effect the IPE within ninety (90) calendar days unless the circumstances of the individual prevent this from occurring. Special circumstances will be documented in the case record and further justification every ninety (90) days thereafter and the individual is informed of the special circumstances.