Small Business Series: Tapping into Talent Through State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies

Small businesses can connect with local organizations to find and hire candidates with disabilities. One such no-cost, effective community partner is your state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency. VR agencies help job seekers with disabilities prepare for and obtain employment, while also supporting employers in meeting business needs. VR agencies continue to provide employers with assistance after hiring and support them in retaining and advancing disabled workers, including those who may acquire disabilities due to injury or illness.

This resource from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN) offers small business owners concrete strategies for developing and building relationships with VR agencies. An example of a successful partnership (see “VR in Action: A ‘Win-Win’ Situation”), below, showcases the positive impact of adopting these strategies.

Working with VR Agencies

Businesses should establish a relationship with their state VR agencies to gain access to their resources. Each state and territory has at least one VR agency, as do many Tribal Nations. While individual VR agencies work at the state and local levels, a national VR network also supports employers of all sizes, particularly those that operate in multiple states.

Supportive Partnerships: Improving Disability Employment

State VR agencies help employers hire and retain workers with disabilities by providing:

• Access to qualified candidates. VR staff can introduce employers to people with disabilities with a range of education and work experience.
  • Some VR programs provide educational incentives to help people with disabilities prepare for careers. In turn, employers who hire them benefit from their current knowledge and expertise.
  • Many VR agencies also help employers access financial incentives, such as tax credits, that encourage the hiring of disabled workers.
• Access to experts who understand disability employment. VR agencies employ professionals who can help small businesses recruit, hire, retain, and advance people with disabilities.
• Clarity on disability nondiscrimination laws. VR professionals can provide information on relevant disability employment laws and regulations.
• Consultation, technical assistance, and support for including people with disabilities in the workforce. VR specialists can help businesses identify reasonable accommodations, including assistive technology solutions, to ensure disabled workers are productive and successful in their roles.
• Information on workplace accessibility. VR agencies provide information and advice for employers on how to enhance the overall digital and physical accessibility of the workplace.
• Connections to community resources. VR staff can point businesses to community resources that can help them support employees with disabilities. These include supports for transportation, housing, and mental health.
  • For example, Maine’s VR agency provides some workers with a range of services (.docx), including support for finding transportation to and from work.
• Wage reimbursement. VR agencies may offer paid internships or other wage reimbursement programs to candidates with disabilities who are seeking employment.
  • When businesses participate in on-the-job training programs through VR, VR will reimburse all or part of an employee’s salary during a 26-week training period.
    • For example, the On-the-Job Training Program (PDF) in Florida offers reimbursement up to and beyond the cost of a job candidate's salary.

“The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired has a very strong paid internship program, and for a small agency, we are getting ready to mark our 200^th paid internship. Many folks are moving into employment as a result of our paid internships.” 

—Cindy Roberts, Director of Business and Corporate Initiatives, Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired

VR Agencies Focus on Dual Customers

VR agencies use a “dual customer” approach to serve both businesses and job seekers with disabilities. VR agencies help businesses find qualified candidates to meet their workforce needs. These agencies also help job seekers prepare for and secure employment that aligns with their skills, abilities, and interests. VR agencies can achieve both goals by matching disabled candidates with open positions—the first step to employment success.

Every VR agency has a Business Services Unit tasked with understanding the business needs of their local community. When connecting with employers, business consultants focus on listening. They want to hear what the business owner needs so they can know how best to help.

Business Services Units offer a variety of programs for businesses in their states. For example, the Business Services Unit within Colorado’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides training and information on topics such as legal requirements, service animals, physical accessibility, and more.

Employers interested in seeking support for hiring and retaining workers with disabilities can contact their state’s VR agency directly.

The NET: Providing Access to Talent Nationwide

The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) coordinates a national network of 78 public VR agency directors called the National Employment Team, or The NET. By providing a centralized portal for businesses to access VR services, The NET seeks to “create a coordinated approach to serving business customers through a national VR team that specializes in employer development, business consulting, and corporate relations.”

Through its Talent Acquisition Portal®, The NET offers direct access to a pool of more than 38,000 qualified job candidates across the country, which businesses may tap into in addition to the support services provided by the public VR system and its partners.

VR in Action: A “Win-Win” Situation

Milrich Virtual Professionals, LLC (Milrich), an award-winning staffing agency, connects business owners with U.S.-based “virtual” assistants (i.e., live assistants who work remotely). While the company values accessibility, Milrich’s then Chief Human Resources Officer Angela Baka did not know how to connect with job candidates with disabilities.

An industry colleague introduced Angela to the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Recently, DARS had developed an intense, six-week-long program called “Steer Your Career” to help job candidates prepare for work and to help DARS identify standout candidates for a variety of roles including those like Milrich’s virtual assistants. 

Angela spoke with DARS consultant Cindy Roberts, who became Milrich’s dedicated partner. With Angela’s business needs and Milrich’s official job descriptions in mind, Cindy was able to identify qualified candidates with disabilities who would be a good match for the staffing agency. “I was really blown away by the services they offered to us, but also by their career seekers as well,” said Angela of DARS’ partnership, which exceeded her expectations. “In life, you rarely find a win-win situation, but this has really been one for us.” 

Angela highlighted DARS’ invaluable and “always-ready talent pipeline” as a source of Milrich’s success. The candidates Angela hired through DARS have all been strong fits for the role and dedicated employees. To date, Milrich has been more likely to retain team members hired through DARS than employees from any other talent source.

In addition to recruiting and hiring disabled candidates, Milrich is committed to creating career ladders for employees seeking to advance in their positions. The company now regularly connects with Cindy at DARS for continued support as she works with disabled employees through all stages of the employment process.

Resources

• EARN Small Business Series: Tapping into Talent Through Community Partners: Watch this recorded webinar to learn about the benefits of connecting with state and local partners to help small businesses recruit and hire new employees.
• Small Business Toolkit: Discover valuable information and resources to help small businesses build talent pipelines; address workforce needs; and gain insights into recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities.
• Community Partnerships: An Effective Disability Employment Strategy: Explore information about creating and sustaining effective community partnerships.
• Building Local Partnerships: One Strategy for Hiring and Keeping Workers: Learn from innovative leaders in this EARN webinar as they share strategies for developing successful, high-impact partnerships that support employers in hiring and retaining skilled workers with and without disabilities.
• Learning Guide: Creating an Effective Talent Strategy Through Local and Regional Partnerships: Find out more about how partnerships between businesses and public or nonprofit organizations can help bolster talent pipelines and reduce turnover.
• Partnering with Businesses to Advance Disability Employment: A Guide for Community-Based Organizations and Workforce Development Professionals: Learn how disability and workforce development service providers and employers can work together to support the employment of people with disabilities.

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