Vocational rehabilitation, also known as vocational rehab, is a service that assists disabled people in obtaining and maintaining stable employment. Evaluation, career counseling, training, job placement, and ongoing employment support are typically included in this process. Individualized treatment is emphasized in most rehab facilities.
People may require vocational rehabilitation services for a variety of reasons. Some people may require it to help them return to work after an injury. When young people with disabilities leave school and enter the workforce, they may benefit from rehabilitation. Others who have been disabled for a long time may benefit from new technologies offered by rehabilitation centers to help them manage their work.
When someone enters a vocational rehab facility, one of the first things that happens is a client evaluation by a trained rehab counselor. Mental, psychological, and physical testing are frequently used in this evaluation. Counselors hope to learn whether the client would benefit from a rehabilitation program and what services that program should include as a result of this.
The type of rehabilitation that a person receives is usually determined by the type of disability that he or she has. People with physical, mental, learning, or emotional disabilities can usually find help at a vocational rehab center. Each of these broad categories of disability necessitates a different approach to treatment, and some clients are affected by more than one.
Most offices provide physical therapy as well as assistive technology to physically disabled clients. Muscle exercises, aquatic therapy, and therapeutic recreation are common components of physical therapy treatment. Typically, the goal is to assist the client in increasing his or her physical mobility. Clients with chronic pain may also benefit from pain management therapy provided by some vocational rehabilitation facilities.
Some vocational rehabilitation centers assist clients in obtaining assistive technology. Clients can usually use this equipment to get access to the technology they need to do their jobs. One-handed keyboards for people who can’t use both hands and modified desks for wheelchair users are examples of this equipment.
Many vocational rehabilitation centers help people with mental and emotional disabilities find and keep jobs. Classes in time management, interview skills, and other types of job-readiness training are common among these services. Specialized training on how to deal with a specific disability in the workplace may be included in some courses.
Vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States are typically funded by the federal government and administered by state governments. The Rehabilitation Services Administration is the federal agency in charge of these local programs (RSA). There is also a vocational rehab program run by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for veterans who have disabilities as a result of their military service.