Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA | [b] Syracuse University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Dr. Tammy Jorgensen Smith,University of South Florida, Department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, 13301N. Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MHC1632-12, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. Tel.: +1 813 974 7713; Fax: +1 813 974 6115; tjsmith@bcs.usf.edu
Abstract: BACKGROUND: In April 2009, the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC) conducted a two-day training on the Discovery process for the Brevard County School System as part of the Supported, Competitive, Integrated Employment Training Teams (SCIETT) project. The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) representatives at the training came up with a plan to integrate Discovery into the public VR system. They presented the information to the State VR office and requested support to conduct a pilot project to test the feasibility of this idea. OBJECTIVE: This article describes a systems change project initiated by the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to build the capacity of the public VR system to effectively serve individuals with complex disabilities by adding Discovery, a component of the customized employment process, as an alternative to traditional vocational evaluation. CONCLUSION: A collaborative effort between Florida VR, Marc Gold & Associates, Southeast TACE, and the University of South Florida resulted in a certification process to train community-based providers to provide Discovery as a billable service for VR customers who have not been successful in obtaining competitive, integrated employment through traditional strategies. The article includes an overview of this innovative project and lessons learned to assist other states and communities in replicating the process.
Keywords: Disability, customized employment, discovery, systems change
