2009 - Oregon State Library: State Employee Information Center ...

i
hOnOrable gOvernOr ted KulOngOsKi and
dr. edward anthOny, rsa dePuty cOmmissiOner:
December 2009
On behalf of the Oregon State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) members,
we are honored to present the Oregon SRC 2009 Annual Report.
Throughout this report you will find an account of the status of the
Oregon State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program (OVRS) and a
summary of the activities undertaken by the SRC during this past year.
Unfortunately, like many other states experiencing a recession,
Oregon was forced into Order of Selection (OOS) in January 2009.
Under federal law, if Oregon does not have enough money to provide
vocational rehabilitation services to all eligible persons, OVRS must
set priorities to serve those with the most significant disabilities.
Nevertheless, the SRC maintains a strong focus on positive employment
outcomes for consumers with disabilities. OVRS staff, along with the
SRC, continues to strive for meaningful employment outcomes. The
data below indicate the effectiveness of services provided by OVRS
staff during the past year.
During federal fiscal year 2009, 15,032 Oregonians with disabilities
received services; 96 percent had significant disabilities; and 2,135
people with disabilities completed individual plans for employment
and were successfully rehabilitated. The impact of these consumers
being able to obtain and maintain meaningful work translated into
approximately $18,672,876 in new wages, providing a substantial
contribution to the Oregon economy.
These accomplishments are largely due to the dedication of the OVRS
staff members. They work diligently to provide quality and timely
services to Oregonians with disabilities during the transition into
OOS and, again, as consumers are removed from the waitlist.
The SRC quickly responded to the needs of OVRS when developing
OregOn state rehabilitatiOn cOuncil