The California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), which is soon changing its name to Disability Works California, provides vocational services to people with disabilities. It is overseen by the state’s Health and Human Services Agency and is funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
The DOR’s mission is to assist individuals with physical and mental disabilities in preparing for, entering into, and retaining or advancing in competitive employment in integrated work settings. The department provides employment services to approximately 115,000 individuals annually. The DOR has about 85 offices throughout the state of California. (Other states also have DORs, but they may have different names and will vary in terms of services they offer and who qualifies
While the DOR’s vocational rehabilitation services are primarily focused on adults, the department also offers pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities ages 16 through 21 who are in high school or in a recognized program of study.
Carol Asch, Assistant Deputy Director for the Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Division of the DOR, describes the five pre-employment transition services that her division is required to provide for students:
These services, which are not always offered by schools and can be provided directly by the DOR, are available to any student who has a 504 plan, an IEP, or a documented disability, such as autism, ADHD, a learning disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc. To access these services in high school, a student with a disability between the ages of 16–18 or their parents may contact any DOR office. A student or their parent may also invite a DOR representative to an IEP meeting.
Asch told us, “When the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) passed, for the first time the DOR had the opportunity to serve both eligible individuals and potentially eligible individuals, so students with disabilities who have not applied to our services can still receive those five pre-employment transition services.”
An individualized plan for employment (IPE) helps a student map out their career path before they graduate. You can think of an IPE as being similar to an IEP or a IPP in that an IPE sets out a student’s goals and objectives, including the services and supports needed to help them achieve those goals and objectives. In addition to the DOR, an IPE may include other organizations such as community providers, Regional Centers, colleges, and community colleges.
Asch says, “Students with disabilities can access the full range of our vocational rehabilitation [VR] services if they apply and are found eligible for VR services; these may include support for training, college education, or other services that are needed for that individual — anything that’s needed to reach their career goal as identified in their individualized plan for employment.” The DOR can also help students with greater support needs gain work experience as part of their pre-employment transition services, including funding any auxiliary aids that they need as well as on-site coaching.
DOR can help students with disabilities get paid work experience by coordinating employment at local businesses. The DOR will typically talk to the student about what jobs they’re interested in, help them apply, and then assign work hours (for example, 300 hours total with no more than 20 hours per week). The DOR then pays the student — at minimum wage or above — rather than the business, so the student will practice filling out their time card with DOR.
The DOR can help students with greater support needs gain work experience as part of their pre-employment transition services, including coordinating any auxiliary aids that they need as well as on-site coaching, which is usually funded by Regional Center. This fact sheet from Disability Rights California goes into more detail about what the DOR can and cannot provide.
The DOR can also support students with disabilities in taking college classes or vocational/trade school classes that will lead to employment. This can include transportation, books, supplies (such as special shoes for a culinary or automotive program), and assistive technology. For tuition and course fees, students are asked to apply for financial aid first through FAFSA; DOR pays the remaining balance after any financial aid is awarded. The DOR can help cover college courses, trade schools, career and technical education programs, apprenticeships, and transition to independent living programs (such as the Redwood SEED Scholars Program) that accept DOR funding.
In this clip, Undivided Non-Attorney Education Advocate Lisa M. Carey explains more about securing post-secondary education funding from the DOR:
Students or their parents can apply for DOR services by filling out information on the DOR’s website, emailing youthservices@dor.ca.gov, or calling their local Department of Rehabilitation office to request student services by phone. Your local office should have a staff member dedicated to providing services to students with disabilities. The DOR can also provide counselors and service coordinators. It can be important to access the DOR’s Work Incentives Planning if the student will be earning money while gaining work experience to learn how it’s going to affect their benefits.
Asch explains the enrollment process in this clip:
Unfortunately, some families are told that the DOR can’t help them because of the nature of their child’s disability. Carey says, “If that happens to you, I would reach out to a supervisor there and maybe reach out to an advocate in your community or Regional Center to assist you because that is not true. [The DOR] works with people with disabilities, and your child isn't too disabled or not disabled enough for their services.”
Many schools have a Transition Partnership Program (TPP) in place that is provided in collaboration with the DOR to help students explore future career options. In these schools, DOR services — including pre-employment transition services — will be offered by school personnel rather than DOR staff. The DOR also has liaison counselors working with each school district who are available to provide pre-employment transition services directly to students.
Asch explains, “Where it’s jointly funded, generally in those situations, there’s a DOR counselor available to work with the student. But for the five pre-employment transition services, those are offered by school personnel dedicated to that contract.”
Some schools may facilitate a partnership with the DOR, TPP, and Workability programs. You'll want to talk to your IEP team and a DOR student services representative about your child’s ability to participate.
Asch says the DOR makes a concerted ongoing effort to reach out to all of the school districts so that they know about the DOR’s services and how to access them. It’s not just about reaching out to parents; rather, says Asch, “It’s making sure that every school district knows how to access them.”
She continues, “The ideal is no wrong door. And that’s what we’ve worked on with our local partnership agreements with Regional Centers and local educational agencies to really do cross-training with other organizations, so they know how to make these referrals.”
As many parents in our community know, the ideal and the reality do not always match up when it comes to our schools. Our advice, based on the experience that families have had trying to access DOR services, is to ask for the DOR representative assigned to your child’s school — and if you do happen to hit a “wrong door,” keep trying other doors. Make sure you are clear about which services you are requesting: pre-employment transition services or vocational rehabilitation services for adults. The DOR has excellent services to assist both youth and adults with disabilities in working toward meaningful careers.
After leaving school, services from the DOR look different from student services. Individuals with disabilities who are no longer served by the school district can enter the Vocational Rehab program where they can continue to receive employment assistance such as a paid internship with DOR (DOR pays the wages) or funding for postsecondary education expenses (if it is part of your individual employment plan).
DOR does not provide an ongoing aide or a job coach. Regional Center can provide supported employment coaches, tailored day services, adaptive skills teachers, and community integrators (under the Self-Determination Program). The DOR will work with the individual’s Regional Center (including SDP if applicable) to fund these services.
Note that a job coach from Regional Center is not an aide; they typically try to fade the coach after eight weeks to three months. Adults are expected to be independent for much of the day.
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