American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation History

1. American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation History Prior to 1975 Vocational Rehabilitation services were almost non existent in Indian Country; However… Early Efforts In 1947, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs signed a Cooperative Relationship Memorandum 21 resolving to focus their efforts to serve Indians with disabilities… Results = ?

2. 1975, Arizona Division of Vocational Rehabilitation funded a three year establishment grant to the Navajo Nation to begin serving persons with disabilities living on the Navajo Indian Reservation • 1978 a tri-state grant entered into by the state vocational rehabilitation agencies in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah provided funds to Navajo to continue serving cases opened during the 1975-1978 period • 1978 Rehabilitation Act reauthorized… section 130 created, authorizing the first Federal Voc Rehab funds specifically for American Indians with disability living on a reservation

3. 1981 federal regulations published which govern AIVR • 1983 Navajo Nation becomes the first federally funded AIVR program serving it’s people on their reservation. • The next programs were funded two years later in 1985… Northern Cheyenne and Chippewa-Cree Tribes in Montana were funded … • From that date forward the number has steadily grown until there are 72 federally funded AIVR programs in the US.

4. 1998 Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act... A watershed or rehabilitation systems change… the CANAR 22 changed about 19 significant issues in the Act • 1998 CANAR becomes the primary change agent for the above noted reauthorization • 1999 RSA decides to study the AIVR Program… award given to Development Associates in W DC… first comprehensive study of AIVR with recommendations for changes in the program. Validates the AIVR program…

5. 1999 RSA decides to study the AIVR Program… award given to Development Associates in W DC… first comprehensive study of AIVR with recommendations for changes in the program. Validates the AIVR program… • 2002 AIVR report published, validating much of AIVR information • 2003 CANAR 11 developed and compressed to the CANAR 5… if Rehabilitation Act reauthorized AIVR will continue it’s steady progress toward permanence

6. High rates of disabling conditions such as cancer, heart disease, substance abuse, specific learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries • Today’s issues in Indian Country are much the same as they were 25 years ago; poverty, rural and remote communities, language and cultural barriers, high unemployment rates… • Off-reservation service agencies are still trying to understand the distinct cultures within tribal communities • Funding increased from $650,000 in 1981 to $34,000,000 today

7. At present there are 82 AIVR programs located in 25 states • Representing approximately 300 federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native entities along with approximately 60 state recognized tribes. • Alaska alone has 11 AIVR programs representing 178 of 227 tribal entities. • However, Oklahoma is catching up with 9 AIVRS programs • About 250 native languages are still spoken in US today

8. AIVR Programs 2010

9. What do we look like? • The following two slides give you a hint • With 82 programs comes great diversity • I.E. subsistence living in the Nome, AK area • Urban / rural resources illustrated by some of the partner logos from the Cherokee Nation VR program in Tahlequah, OK

11. Meet a few of our partners Cookson Hills Talking Leaves Oklahoma Department of Commerce SACC-EZ Carl Albert State College

12. Growth Data

13. Performance Data