Vocational Rehabilitation Transition Services in Rural Areas

The receipt of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services as students transition out of high school may be an important predictor of post-graduation success (Harvey, 2002; National Council on Disability, 2008). In rural, limited job opportunities and limited access to counselors intersect to create a challenging VR service environment for transition youth. While 2008 and 2009 case services data indicate that a greater proportion of clients are transition aged in rural versus urban counties (RSA 911, 2009), rural transition students fall behind their urban counterparts in rates of employment and enrollment in postsecondary education following graduation (Harvey, 2002). This fact sheet reports findings from interviews with VR counselors, supervisors, and administrators regarding rural transition service delivery. Methods. In 2011, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 82 VR informants to explore rural service delivery strategies. Informants, including 4 supervisors, 21 counselors, 20 administrators and 37 area