California Department of Rehabilitation
The California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) is a California state department which administers vocational rehabilitation services. It provides vocational rehabilitation services and advocacy from over 100 locations throughout California seeking employment, independence, and equality for individuals with disabilities. The DOR was established on October 1, 1963. Overview. The DOR assists eligible Californians with significant disabilities to obtain and retain employment and maximize their ability to live independently in their communities. The annual budget for the 2012/2013 Fiscal Year is $418.6 million. There are 1,823 authorized staff positions statewide, and approximately 145,000 consumers receiving services annually . The Rehabilitation Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, provides grant funds and oversight to DOR for rehabilitative services and independent living. History. Historically, the California government developed various agencies and services to aid and rehabilitate people with physical, mental, visual, and hearing disabilities. The federal Rehabilitation Act established the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation within the Department of Education in California as early as 1921. The Department of Education administered the Division of Special Schools and Services. Established in 1946, the Division included such services as the California School  for the Blind, Training Centers for the Adult Blind, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Schools for the Cerebral-Palsied Children. The Department of Social Welfare, established in 1942, administered the Bureau of Aid to the Needy Blind. Legislation enacted in 1963 consolidated the relevant services of these agencies into one Department of Rehabilitation. In 1961, Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, Sr. established the Health and Welfare Agency as part of his plan for the reorganization of state government. Designed to reduce government costs and improve efficiency, Governor Brown's reorganization plan created eight super agencies within the executive branch of  California government (Chapter 2038, Statutes of 1961). As originally organized, the Health and Welfare Agency consisted of the departments of Social Welfare, Mental Hygiene, and Public Health. In 1963, the Edmund G. Brown administration added the Department of Rehabilitation to the departmental divisions of the Health and Welfare Agency (Chapter 1747, Statutes of 1963). List of directors. In the past 50 years the DOR has had 9 Directors. Programs. The major divisions of the Department of Rehabilitation are the Office of the Director, Administrative Services Division, Specialized Services Division, which includes the Business Enterprises Program, Blind and Visually Impaired and  Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Vocational Rehabilitation Policy and Resources Division, Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Division, and the Community Access Division. Vocational rehabilitation program. The Department administers the largest VR program in the country. Employment services are provided annually to approximately 115,000 individuals with significant physical and mental disabilities to assist them prepare for and obtain competitive employment in integrated work settings. Approximately 1,300 vocational rehabilitation staff in over 85 offices throughout California provide direct services to individuals requiring multiple services over an extended period of time. The purpose of the program is to assist individuals with disabilities in preparing  for entering into, and retaining competitive employment in integrated work settings. The department provides services such as consumer assessment, counseling and guidance, purchase of individualized rehabilitation services and job placement. The program provides services to individuals with a full range of physical and mental disabilities, pursuant to federal law. Individualized vocational rehabilitation is the major service provided by the Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Division (VRED), the largest organizational unit in the department, and the Specialized Services Blind & Visually Impaired and Deaf & Hard of Hearing Division (SSD). The Department delivers its principal service, vocational rehabilitation, through qualified rehabilitation professionals located in statewide  district and branch offices. A vocational rehabilitation team works with job seekers to provide services and resources necessary to prepare for, find, and retain employment. DOR vocational rehabilitation services may include career assessment and counseling, job search and interview skills, education and training, and assistive technology.