Community Rehabilitation Programs

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

A Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) is a program that can directly provide, or facilitate the provision of, one or more vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to individuals with disabilities as one of its major functions. The purpose of these services is to enable those individuals to maximize their opportunities for employment. The Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) will purchase community based services as work adjustment training or supported employment (SES) (SE) from any CRP that is accredited by a public authority or professional organization as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, the Council on Accreditation or the Council on Quality Leadership.

For individuals who are legally blind or blind in North Carolina there are also private, nonprofit, community based operations affiliated with the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) that are considered a CRP. These are located in Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Kinston, Raleigh and Winston-Salem.

DSB cannot consider employment at any CRP unless the CRP or a unit within the CRP is considered a “typical integrated setting” in the community. The CRP can be considered a “typical integrated work setting” if the following criteria are met:

1. The individual is employed in a type of job available to the general public.

2. The individual is employed under the same working conditions as non-disabled employees in similar position and has access to restroom facilities, lunch or break room arrangements, entrance, and exits that non-disabled employees have.

3. The individual has an ongoing interaction with other workers, supervisors, and the general public to the same degree as workers without disabilities in the same or comparable occupations.

4. General working conditions reflect interaction with other workers rather than a segregated environment.

5. The individual is hired and promoted in the same way as a non-disabled worker.

6. The individual is supervised the same as a non-disabled worker (supervised by the provider or business).

7. The individual has comparable wages and benefits.

8. Consider how employees are assigned to specific production lines, work teams, or shift work (i.e., percentage of disabled workers in relation to non-disabled workers).

Sometimes a DSB VR individual will choose employment at a CRP, even though the CRP or unit in the CRP is not integrated, and the DSB VR case will be closed indicating an unsuccessful employment outcome. DSB is to conduct an annual review and re-evaluation of these individuals. The reviews are completed for two years after the individual’s DSB VR case record is closed (and thereafter if requested by the individual and/or the individual’s representative). With input from the individual (and/or the individual’s representative, if appropriate), the reviews are to assess the individual’s interests, priorities and needs with respect to competitive employment. A written acknowledgement that the review and re-evaluation occurred is to be signed by with the individual (and/or the individual’s representative, if appropriate) and placed in the case record. The area VR supervisor will be responsible for assigning staff to complete these reviews.

If, as a result of the review and re-evaluation, the individual requests planning for competitive work, DSB will assure maximum efforts, including identifying and providing VR services, reasonable accommodations and other necessary support services to assist the individual to reach competitive employment.