Typically, it is necessary for potential American Indian consumers with disabilities to travel for hours to apply for state rehabilitation related services. The lack of public transportation, poor roads, and unusually high incidence of poverty make it very difficult for many American Indian consumers to obtain rehabilitation services from state agencies. Additionally, most American Indian consumers are more responsive to local Native service providers than to non-Indian providers. In all groups, culture and language influence an individual's values, perceptions, behavior, and beliefs. People with disabilities are the largest single minority group in the country.
Unemployment is rampant on American Indian reservations.
The report rates the American Indian unemployment rate at more than 5 to 10 times higher than the unemployment rate for the total civilian labor force. The Indian population on reservations, including the disabled population, is not conveniently located for easy participation in Federal and state programs. In the 1980 report RSA expressed concern that American Indians with disabilities were not accessing services at a rate comparable with the general population, and when American Indians did receive services, they had a lower rate of success. In direct response to Congressional recognition of the need to improve the delivery of rehabilitation services to American Indians with disabilities, the 1978 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 created Part D, Section 130, American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services , authorizing VR grants to American Indian tribes and organizations. The tribally operated VR Service Projects for American Indians with Disabilities are to provide VR services that are comparable to the state VR programs to eligible American Indians with disabilities who reside on or near Federal or state reservations, consistent with their individual strengths, abilities, capabilities, priorities, resources, concerns, and informed choice, so that they may prepare for and engage in gainful employment, including self employment, telecommuting, or business ownership.