Seventy years of hope, seventy years of success.

Seventy Years of Hope, Seventy Years of Success

From glimmer of hope to a successful end comprehensive rehabilitation program, from a seven hundred-fifty thousand dollar allowance to a 1.5 billion dollar annual budget, from a demonstration project to a formula-based nationwide program, the state/federal vocational rehabilitation program spans seven decades providing hope, training, employment, opportunity, independence, and empowerment for millions of Americans with disabilities. Offering full integration and participation for people who might otherwise have been forced to stand merely in the shadows of life, this successful partnership between the state and federal government has withstood political, social, and economic change. Its value to people with disabilities and its productive impact on the nation are undisputed.

Early Years

Following a model used in Massachusetts in 1918, the federal government launched a demonstration program in vocational rehabilitation in 1920. The earliest programs were directed toward returning industrially injured workers to the labor force. Borrowing methodology and techniques from the veterans programs which were designed to assist wounded World War I soldiers, the first vocational rehabilitation activities leaned toward guidance and counseling and vocational training. But, from the beginning, the presence of hope has been prevalent in rehabilitation--hope by the disabled individual that positive change could occur and hope by the service provider that the process could affect change.

A Foothold Established

In the 1930s, the state/federal vocational rehabilitation program struggled for permanence. After the passage of the Social Security Act and other legislation directed toward employment opportunities for disabled Americans, the Congress began to look more favorably at the state/federal partnership. By 1940, the program was not only made permanent but was expanded to include physical restoration services including hospitalization and surgery, and people with mental handicaps were added to the list of disabled Americans, who could receive VR services.

Beginnings of Expansion

Something of a revolution took place in 1954 when rehabilitation training and research were added to the program. Professionals could now be trained under federally supported university programs. Research which would bring a new era of enlightenment to the field could now be conducted. There was renewed hope and promise that quality of services would improve and expanded opportunities would be created for Americans with disabilities. The hope and promise became a reality--quality of service rose, opportunities expanded, and the field of rehabilitation was elevated to a level of professionalism among the elite classes in human services professions.

It was also in this period that the "severely" handicapped population was recognized for priority in the receipt of service. New hope and promise for "severely" handicapped individuals brought greater expectations which translated into expanded programs--additional funding, more opportunities.

Growth of RSA and

Programs

In the 1960s, the state/federal programs continued to expand, and it was in this decade that the rehabilitation facilities amendments and Projects with Industries were added to the statutory language. The RSA facilities staff grew from three to twenty-three during this period. Facilities became a stronger partner within the service delivery network and this expansion of services benefitted more individuals.

Pivotal Years for Disability

Legislation

The next decade changed the course of rehabilitation history in America. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 not only returned the programs to sound basic principles but also expanded them to comprehensive levels of services that created hope and expectation where none had existed. The new legislation allowed disabled individuals to pursue dreams of opportunity and employment, integration and participation, choice and empowerment, that could only have been fantasy before its passage. Rehabilitation personnel became more professional. Disabled people became more knowledgeable and more independent, and the Congress became more generous. Many of us remember the '70s as a decade when there was enough money to "almost" meet the demands for services.

The 1970s also brought the creation of the Independent Living programs beginning with funding only for the Title VII, Part B Centers. It was also during this decade that the research division was split away from RSA and the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research was created under Title II.

Title V was also added to the Rehabilitation Act during this period, bringing rights, opportunity and empowerment to Americans with disabilities. The positive impact of the Title V provisions meant forward movement and growth for the Vocational Rehabilitation program.

Integration of Diverse

Elements

In the 1980s the entire field of disability and rehabilitation placed renewed emphasis on employment opportunities. During this period the supported employment amendments were added to the Rehabilitation Act, and employment barriers and work disincentives became a focus of concern. Private industry became a fully participating partner in the rehabilitation network and integrated, competitive employment became the primary goal for severely handicapped individuals.

It was in this decade, too, that the additional Independent Living authorities under Title VII were funded and enhancement of the quality of life for disabled Americans became the worthy goal of numerous social programs.

Seventy years of hope, seventy years of success, a seventy-year history that could not have been written without the determination of millions of Americans with disabilities is also a history that could not have been recorded as a success without the dedication of thousands of rehabilitation professionals and support workers. It is a story that could not have survived seven decades without the caring and generosity of the U.S. Congress and the commitment of various administrations. It is a story that could never be told without the full participation of the states, facilities, communities, universities and the private sector.

A Promising Future

The 1990s bring even greater challenges to the vocational rehabilitation programs. With new, bold civil rights for Americans with disabilities, there will certainly be change and expansion in the services and the delivery system. Choice and empowerment will replace hope and promise as a new generation of Americans with disabilities, more englightened, more educated, and more determined, steps forward to participate in rehabilitation programs.

But the prevailing principles of individualization, flexibility and systematic approaches which have kept Vocational Rehabilitation alive and healthy for seventy years will remain unchanged. Comprehensive rehabilitation and independent living programs which lead to the pursuit and attainment of employment, independence, and integration into the community will be needed just as much by new generation of disabled Americans as in the past. The foundational principles on which the program was built and has operated will live on: they will never die as long as we are a free nation made up of people who care about one another and who care about the health, welfare and future of America. There is more to be done, and we have the collective will, the knowledge and the tools to do it.

NELL C. CARNEY is Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration.