By Tia Lyons
The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month each October is to recognize and celebrate the contributions of American workers with disabilities.
Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, a division of the Arkansas Department of Career Education, has made it its mission this month to raise awareness about the many opportunities that are available to help people with disabilities secure gainful employment and lead productive, independent lives.
Kensel Spivey, a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the ARS office in El Dorado, said she often encounters people who do not even know that such a program exists here, let alone the services it provides.
“A lot of people say it’s one of the best kept secrets in El Dorado. We just want to let people know who we are, where we are, what we do and how we can help,” Spivey said.
As it turns out, ARS can help in myriad of ways, first by focusing on abilities, rather than disabilities, a point Spivey said counselors try to drive home with clients, particularly younger ones, many of whom are high-school students.
“We do take a lot of applications for high school students, but I think a lot of students miss out on the opportunity because they are afraid of the word ‘disability,’” she said.
Spivey said a disability can be defined as any condition that causes functional limitations to daily life. Those conditions can be physical, cognitive or emotional and can include ailments such as diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.
“When you break down what a disability is, you’ll see that it’s about your abilities. Just because you can’t do something the way someone else does it, doesn’t mean that you can’t do it,” Spivey explained. “We want to break down the barriers of the word so that people can take full advantage of our services.”
Some of the programs offered by ARS include transitional services for students graduating from high school; services for clients with special needs, such as a hearing impairment; individualized assessment and treatment; and vocational training at Arkansas Career Training Institute in Hot Springs.
Spivey touched on specific programs, including RAVE (Retaining a Valued Employee), SDHH (Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and Project SEARCH Arkansas, which is part of an international, evidence-based program that is designed for young adults, ages 18 to 35, with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Students who enroll in the ACTI can take advantage of more than 20 educational and training programs and can pursue careers in auto collision/ repair, cosmetology, culinary arts, graphic design, etc.
With RAVE, ARS works closely with employers to identify disabilities and make the necessary adjustments and accommodations for clients in the workplace.
Spivey said ARS is looking to establish those types of relationships with area employers
“So they’ll know we have clients that are trained and ready for employment. We want to let them know there are some benefits to hiring individuals with disabilities. They’re hard-working, committed people,” she said.
Spivey offered a guide of what a client can typically expect when applying for ARS services. The first step is to visit or call the ARS office — 708 West Faulkner, 862-5451 in El Dorado — to set up an appointment.
The client will then complete an application and undergo an evaluation to help determine eligibility and develop a personalized, needs plan.
Spivey said the determination of eligibility is usually made within 60 days.
“Then we do an Individual Employment Plan, where we sit down with the client and talk about their vocational goals, set a timeline to reach those goals and outline intermediate objectives, how they’re going to reach those objectives,” she explained.
The plan lays out the services that are going to be provided and what the commitments of the client and ARS will be. Both parties then sign off on the plan.
Once a client completes training and rehabilitation services, ARS offers assistance in finding a job.
“We’ll follow them for 90 days and make sure they maintain that job before we close the case out,” Spivey said.
Success and completion rates for the program vary, but Spivey said she has yet to meet a client who was not happy after successfully completing the program.
She shared the story of a client who had spent 17 years in prison, and upon release, he was eager to find work.
“We sent him to truck-driving school, and it was a pretty quick turnaround. In three weeks, he was able to get his (commercial drivers’ license), and he’s now living a productive life. We’re proud of that. It’s about overcoming those barriers. That’s what we’re here for,” Spivey said.