Rehabilitation of Visually Impaired Persons in Separate and General Agencies

Abstract

In 1997, the National Council on Disability recommended that separate Title I vocational rehabilitation (VR) grants to state agencies serving only consumers who are visually impaired should be eliminated. This study found that such separate VR agencies serve consumers who are more socially and economically disadvantaged, have more severe visual impairments, have more secondary disabilities, and incur greater service costs than do general agencies. In addition, various outcome criteria indicate the overall superiority of separate agencies.