TAC Joint Needs Assessment

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Introduction to needs assessment

Welcome!
In the Fall 2015, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) proposed four new technical
assistance centers to support the activities of state vocational rehabilitation agencies. The following
centers began their work on October 1, 2015:

Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Center for Youth (Y-TAC)
Targeted Communities Technical Assistance Center: Educate, Empower, and Employ (TC-TAC)
Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance Technical Assistance Center (PEQA-TAC)
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) - (began work in 10/1/2014)

As indicated in the request for proposals and included in subsequent cooperative agreements
between each project with RSA, each center is tasked with conducting a needs assessment to
inform the technical assistance activities provided to state VR agencies.
In response to a request from the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation and
support from RSA, these centers elected to collaborate in securing the information critical to the
development and operation of their technical assistance activities. To that end, these centers
developed a joint needs assessment to decrease the burden on state VR agencies associated with
completing multiple assessments.
The following pages of this joint needs assessment represents the composite efforts of these
centers to collect information that will assist us in providing technical assistance in numerous
areas that is of high quality and utility. We thank you for taking the time to complete this
assessment and providing us with your input on the activities of these centers.
On the final page of this survey, we provide a list of these centers, their website information, and a
contact person and his or her contact information. You are welcome to print a copy of this page but
we will be emailing you this information to thank you for your participation in this study.
Thank you again for your participation!

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment

Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)

The purpose of the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) is to provide
training and technical assistance (TA) in five topic areas related to WIOA to State Vocational
Rehabilitation Agencies, related agencies, rehabilitation professionals and service providers. The
goal is to assist VR agencies and partners to achieve full implementation of the requirements of
(WIOA).
The WINTAC will provide training and TA in five topic areas related to the requirements of WIOA. Please
identify your agency’s anticipated level of need (gap between current and desired performance) in each of
these areas identified below:
None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

A. Implementation of effective provision of pre-employment transition services
to students with disabilities and supported employment to youth with
disabilities.
B. Implementation of the requirements in Section 511 of the rehab Act
(referring to limitations on the use of sub-minimum wage employment)
C. Provision of resources and strategies to help individuals with disabilities to
achieve competitive integrated employment, including customized and
supported employment
D. Integration of the VR program into the workforce development system
E. Transition to the new common performance accountability system under
Section 116 of WIOA, including the collection and reporting of common data
elements.

Overall, how would you rate your agency’s current level of implementation of the requirements of WIOA?
Limited implementation
Average implementation
Above average implementation
Full implementation

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Center for Youth (YTAC)

The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Center for Youth (Y-TAC)
is charged with providing State VR Agencies (SVRAs) and related rehabilitation professionals with
training and TA around serving all Youth with Disabilities (YWD) more effectively in order to

increase the number of YWD served by SVRAs who engage in post-secondary education and
training that leads to credentials and/or certificates needed for employment in high demand
occupations as well as to increase the number of YWD who obtain competitive integrated
employment. The Y-TAC will work with SVRAs to specifically focus on students with disabilities that
are not receiving comprehensive special education services, such as students with 504 plans and
other “potentially eligible;” other system-connected youth, such as foster care, juvenile justice,
homeless and runaway; and, other disconnected, hard to serve and/or at-risk youth populations,
however, it is expected that Training and TA will positively impact and benefit all SVRA consumer
populations.
Who is your agency's transition coordinator?
Name
Email

What, if any, other youth-focused programs/agencies is your agency involved with and to what level are you
involved? Please complete table below by placing a check mark for any activity you are involved in with the
listed partners:
Transition
Information and Referral
Informal Collaboration
(i.e. joint committees or
Individual Service
Coordination)
Formal Collaboration
(MOA or MOU in place)
Established Model for
Joint Service Delivery
Identified specialized
staff to coordinate with
the other service
providers

Juvenile
Justice

Homeless/Run
Disconnected Title 1 WIOA Other (Please
Away
Foster Care
Youth
Youth
Specify)

Please complete the table below regarding your current level of satisfaction as it relates to the provision of
services to all youth with disabilities (YWD)**.
Neither
satisfied or Moderately
Dissatisfied dissatisfied
Satisfied

Extremely
Satisfied

Recruitment and Continued Engagement of YWD
Assessment Process and Career Exploration Process for YWD
YWD Post-Secondary Credential/Certificate Attainment Rate
YWD Competitive Integrated Employment Placement Rate
YWD Competitive Integrated Employment Retention Rate

**Including youth with disabilities who are not engaged in comprehensive special education programs, such as those that are on 504
Plans, are other system connected youth (i.e. Foster Care or Juvenile Justice) or who are otherwise disconnected youth.

In the table below, please indicate the level of need for your agency’s staff related to the following
professional development competencies for working with youth with disabilities:
None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

Knowledge of the Youth Services Field
Communication with Youth
Assessment and Individualized Planning
Relationship to Family and Community
Self-Exploration
Career Exploration
Career Planning and Management
Relationships with Employers, and Between Employers and Employees
Connection to Resources
Administrative Skills

Is your agency currently engaging in and/or utilizing Customized Employment as one of your Supported
Employment Strategies.
Yes
No

The Guideposts for Success, developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for
Youth (NCWD/Youth), are a research-based, comprehensive approach and holistic framework designed to
aid all youth, including youth with disabilities (YWD), in the transition to adulthood. The Guideposts identify
a set of standards that all youth need as well as additional standards that YWD need in order to
successfully transition to adulthood. In the table below are the five key areas of the Guideposts, and a
scale to indicate the level of Training and TA your agency needs as related to the standards associated with
each of the Guideposts.
None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

School-Based Preparatory Experiences
Career Preparation and Work-Based Learning Experiences
Youth Development and Leadership
Connecting Activities
Family Involvement and Supports

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Targeted Communities Technical Assistance Center (TC-TAC)

The goal of the Targeted Communities Technical Assistance Center (TC-TAC): Educate, Empower,
and Employ is to provide State VR agencies and their partners with the skills and competencies
needed to address barriers to VR program participation and competitive integrated employment
encountered by economically disadvantaged persons with disabilities living in high poverty and
unemployment communities. The TC-TAC will provide general technical assistance to all state
agencies regarding promising practices to identify and engage individuals with disabilities in these
communities in vocational rehabilitation services leading to competitive employment. The TC-TAC
will also provide intensive TA to 12 targeted communities across the country and provide technical
assistance on the strategies associated with successful outcomes identified in these communities

High-leverage groups with national applicability are those groups of individuals with disabilities who are
frequently identified by State VR agencies throughout the Nation in their statewide comprehensive needs
assessments as groups comprised of individuals that are either under-served or who have achieved
substandard performance. Please rate your TA needs for the following groups:
None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

Residents of rural and remote communities
Adjudicated adults and youth
Youth with disabilities in foster care
Individuals with disabilities receiving Federal financial assistance through
TANF
Culturally diverse populations (e.g., African Americans, Native Americans, and
non-English speaking populations)
High school dropouts and functionally illiterate consumers
Persons with multiple disabilities (e.g., deaf-blindness, HIV/AIDS with
substance abuse)
SSI and SSDI recipients, including subminimum-wage employees

In thinking of the geographic areas of your state that havehigh poverty and unemployment above the
national average, please rate the level of technical assistance needed to serve specific groups of persons
with disabilities living in those areas.
None
Amputations
Arthritis or Rheumatoid Disorders
Asthma or other Allergies
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autism
Blindness or Low Vision
Blood Disorders
Cancer
Cerebral Palsy
Deafness or Hearing Loss
Diabetes
Epilepsy
HIV and AIDS
Intellectual Disability or other Cognitive Impairment

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Obesity
Parkinson's Disease and other Neurological Disorders
Specific Learning Disability
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Stroke
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Alcohol Abuse or Dependence
Drug Abuse or Dependence (other than alcohol)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety Disorders other than PTSD
Personality Disorders
Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders

Are there other groups of individuals with disabilities not indicated above that you are in need of technical
assistance?

In thinking of the geographic areas of your state that havehigh poverty and unemployment above the
national average, please rate the level of concerns each item has on service provision or limits economic
opportunities for people with disabilities living in these areas.
None

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

Lack of high quality jobs in the area
Lack of self-employment opportunities
Lack of community-based rehabilitation providers
Lack of high-quality VR personnel to provide services
Lack of training of VR personnel in the specific needs of people living in these
communities
Lack of promising or evidenced based practices to serve people living in these
communities
Lack of other employer networks in these areas
Pervasive poverty stressors (food insecurity, secondary health problems,
safety concerns, etc.) experienced for more than one generation
Lack of affordable, reliable, safe transportation options
Limited access to vocational training and/or educational options
Single parent homes
Poor health status
Immigration related issues
Extremes of climate

What other barriers impact service provision or limit economic opportunities for to persons with disabilities
living in these areas?

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance Technical Assistance Center (PEQA-TAC)

The PEQA-TAC seeks to increase the capacity of state VR programs to evaluate the effectiveness of
rehabilitation services provided to persons with disabilities. This TAC will offer a certificate training
curriculum in program evaluation. In addition, the PEQA-TAC will provide training in intermediate
level special topics for state program evaluators to support their efforts to evaluate existing
services and emerging practices. Through these technical assistance activities, PEQA seeks to

increase the capacity and sophistication of state VR program evaluators to provide timely and
relevant program evaluation data to help state VR agencies develop new competencies capable of
responding in new and different ways to create and deliver outcomes in a dynamic economy.
Does your state have an individual designated to conduct program evaluation?
Yes
No

If you have a program evaluator, approximately how long has this individual served in this capacity at your
agency?

Does your state have an individual designated to assess quality assurance?
Yes
No

If you have a person responsible for quality assurance, approximately how long has this individual served
in this capacity at your agency?

Please rate your current capacity of your program evaluator to meet the evaluation or quality assurance
needs of your agency
None
The staff member(s) responsible for gathering and compiling our state VR data
have adequate evaluation knowledge and skills.
Staff skills in preparing data for reports and presentations to non-research
audiences.
Data is prepared and available to administrators in a format that can easily be
used to inform programmatic decision-making.
Capacity of staff to identify under-performing units or offices in the agency
Capacity of staff to identify and evaluate factors associated with variable
performance of units or offices in the agency

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

The PEQA-TAC will provide at least four specialized training topics per year for intermediate level program
evaluators. Please rate the importance of the following specialized training areas based on the needs of
your agency.
Not
Important

Low

High
Medium Importance

Unsure

Evaluating effectiveness of services
Advanced analysis of RSA 911 data and other data sources
Qualitative analysis
Survey design
Evaluation of outcomes-focused business models
Methodologies for evaluation of staff development and training
Methodologies for evaluation of staff satisfaction
Methodologies for evaluation of client satisfaction
Methodologies for evaluation of innovation within the agency
Identifying and developing quality assurance measures
Evaluation of quality assurance strategies
Methodologies for evaluation of diffusion of emerging practices within the
agency

Are there other topics that you would like to see included in the specialized workshops for intermediate
level program evaluators or persons providing quality assurance?

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition

NTACT’s purpose is to assist State Education Agencies, Local Education Agencies, State VR
agencies, and VR service providers in implementing evidence-based and promising practices
ensuring students with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, graduate prepared
for success in postsecondary education and employment. NTACT provides universal, targeted, and
intensive levels of technical assistance focused on (a) secondary students with disabilities (SSWD)
accessing and succeeding in rigorous academic instruction, (b) SSWD accessing and succeeding in
career related curricula and activities, (c) quality transition planning for SSWD, including
interagency collaboration, (d) SSWD graduating, and (e) data-driven decision making to improve
programs and systems.

Please rate your needs for technical assistance in the following areas:
None
Effective practices to teach employment skills and essential characteristics of
programs correlated with positive employment outcomes for students and
youth with disabilities
Collaborative strategies and models to implement pre-employment transition
services between vocational rehabilitation, education, and other stakeholders
for all students or youth with disabilities
Collaborative strategies and models WIOA between vocational rehabilitation,
labor, education, and other stakeholders
Collaborative strategies and models to identify, recruit and engage persons
with disabilities living in geographic areas with high poverty and high
unemployment between vocational rehabilitation, community agencies, and
other stakeholders
Collaborative strategies and models to develop program evaluation systems
and strategies

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Demographic Information

In which state or territory is your agency located?

Which of the following best describes your agency?
Combined agency
General agency for persons with disabilities except those who are blind
Agency for the Blind

How many years have you been with the agency?

Low

Medium

High

Unsure

Which of the following best describes your position in the agency
Director
Deputy Director
Other Position (please specify)

What department in state government is your program located?
Education
Labor/Workforce Development
Health and Human Services
VR is an independent agency
Other location in state government (please specify)

Does your agency have specialized caseloads for specific disabilities or age groups?
Yes
No

If you answered yes to the previous question, which of the following specialized caseloads does your
agency support?
Transition
Mental Health/Psychiatric
Criminal Justice
Juvenile Justice
TANF
Homeless/Runaway Program
Substance Abuse/Dependence
Traumatic Brain Injury
Other Specialized Caseload (please specify)

Which statement accurately reflects your state agency regarding the Order of Selection
My agency is not under or been approved for an Order of Selection
My agency has been approved for, but not implemented, an Order of Selection
My agency has implemented an Order of Selection but does not currently have a waitlist for services
My agency has implemented an Order of Selection and has a waitlist for services

Does your agency have an Employer or Business Engagement Unit?*
Yes
No

If you have an employer engagement unit, how many years has your agency had this unit?

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Demographic Information (cont.)

Has your agency implemented any policies and programs within the following topic areas that could be
considered national models (Check all that apply)?
Provision of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities
Supported employment to youth with disabilities.
Implementation of the requirements in Section 511 of the Rehab Act (referring to limitations on the use of subminimum wage
employment)
Strategies to help individuals with disabilities to achieve competitive integrated employment
Integration of the VR program into the workforce development system
Transition to the new common performance accountability system under Section 116 of WIOA
Transition of youth to post-secondary education or vocational education
Transition of youth to employment
Outreach to persons with disabilities or community leaders from geographic areas with high poverty and unemployment
Service provision to persons with disabilities from geographic areas with high poverty and unemployment
Program evaluation of existing and emerging practices within the state VR program
Quality Assurance of existing and emerging practices within the state VR program

For areas that you have checked, can you please provide the title of each service or practice?

If possible, please provide the name and contact information for an individual that would be willing to
provide further information on these practices.
Name
Title
Email
Phone

In what areas would you like your agency to receive technical assistance TA and/or training (check all that
apply):
Provision of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities
Supported employment to youth with disabilities.
Implementation of the requirements in Section 511 of the Rehab Act (referring to limitations on the use of subminimum wage
employment)
Strategies to help individuals with disabilities to achieve competitive integrated employment
Integration of the VR program into the workforce development system
Transition to the new common performance accountability system under Section 116 of WIOA
Transition services for youth and young adults with disabilities
Outreach and service provision to persons with disabilities or community leaders from geographic areas with high poverty and
unemployment
Program evaluation and quality assurance training

Please identify a member of your agency that the technical assistance centers can contact to follow-up on
your request for technical assistance.
Name
Title
Email
Phone

Do you have any recommendations for the Technical Assistance Centers to improve the outreach,
engagement, or technical assistance provided by these centers?

Is there any additional information or concerns not addressed in this needs assessment that you would like
to share with the technical assistance centers?

Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Joint Needs Assessment
Thank you and TAC information

Thank you for completing the TAC joint needs assessment. We value your input and willingness to
support our efforts to provide you with the technical assistance required by your agency. Below is
the contact information of the different centers involved in this needs assessment. We will also
email the individual you designated to receive information on the technical assistance centers this
information.
INSERT WINTAC LOGO AND CONTACT INFO HERE

INSERT Y-TAC LOGO and CONTACT HERE

Target Communities Technical Assistance Center: Project E3 (TC-TAC)
http://e3-tc.com/
Dr. Madan M. Kundu, Project Director
225-771-2325 or 225-771-2335
[email protected] OR [email protected]

National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
www.transitionta.org and [email protected]
Catherine Fowler, Project Coordinator
[email protected], 704-687-8606

Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance Technical Assistance Center (PEQATAC)
http://www.peqatac.org/about/
Cayte Anderson, Project Director
[email protected] or (715)232-2150