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Negotiating with Your VR Counselor
excerpt from Point of Departure, Vol. 4, No. 2...PACER Center...Winter 1999
By Kathy Cohen
Vocational rehabilitation is the fourth in a series of steps that lead a young person with a disability to successful employment, said William McCrone, Ph.D., Dean of Gallaudet University's School of Education and Human Services. The other steps include a supportive family, a quality special education program, and an early and strong transition program. "When there have been deficiencies earlier in the process, VR has had to help individuals catch up," said McCrone.
McCrone discussed the importance of giving young people skills to negotiate their services with their VR counselors via videoconference this past August. He outlined several factors that increase the likelihood of students having successful vocational rehabilitation outcomes: a strong transition program with vocational counseling; vocational education; and curriculum relevant to the working world. He suggested that students seek VR evaluation while they are in high school. In addition, "students need education in the politics of work," he said. He stressed the importance of "work experiences in school, after school, and in the summer."
McCrone also recommended that young people with disabilities and their families be educated about VR and its purposes. It is important to know the steps of the process and be aware of Client Assisted Programs (CAPs). Key to a successful VR experience is understanding that a consumer is entitled to negotiate services.
Prior to beginning any negotiation, McCrone emphasizes the need for parents and students to interview their VR counselor. Parents and students do not have to accept the counselor assigned to them. He advocates making sure counselors are well trained, finding out how much they know, and determining their background and job placement rates. "One-third of the VR counselors quit every year in one state I work with," he cautioned.
What should negotiating be about? First, parents can negotiate how their son or daughter is evaluated. McCrone emphasized that evaluators should begin without preconceptions based on disability, citing a fairly common situation where an individual who is deaf is routinely slotted to work in printing. The evaluation should be wide open, encompassing all kinds of possibilities.
Negotiating should start early and with a goal in mind. "Think win/win," McCrone said. Consider what steps are necessary to achieve employment or Independent Living (IL) objectives. For example, a consumer might need vocational training and personal counseling as well as time to learn a transportation system. These individual services should be identified in the Individual Plan for Employment or IPE (formerly the Individual Written Rehabilitation Plan or IWRP). VR counselors are knowledgeable about the ADA and provide training to employers on topics such as accommodations, tax credits and co-worker training and support. This, too, could be part of the negotiation according to McCrone.
An Individual Plan for Employment is not a binding agreement, clarified McCrone. Parents and young people have the right to include provisions for amending the plan if their son or daughter finds him or herself on the wrong track. When asked, "what do you want to be?" very young people may say they want to be firemen. Later, as they mature, their ideas and goals change.
"It is important to agree on regular meetings and progress reports with the VR counselor," McCrone suggested. "Get information on the success rates of training programs. Ask." Parents and consumers should discuss whether and how the VR counselor will follow-up on the job and help solve problems as they arise. Likewise, consumers have their own responsibilities: "Keep your appointments and stay in touch" McCrone advised.
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
