The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) was recently awarded a $17 million grant by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). This award will go toward furthering the vocational education and rehabilitation of disabled youth. The MRC received this grant in partnership with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH).
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, employment of individuals with disabilities has been a national concern,” stated Marylou Sudders, MA Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the official press release. “The Administration recognizes the need for transformative efforts and support for individuals with disabilities to attain their employment goals. With this new funding, MRC will strengthen traditional systems and provide innovative services for employment to our most vulnerable residents.”
The MRC was formed in 1956 after the establishment of Chapter 602 of the Acts of 1956, which shifted the oversight of the Public Vocational Rehabilitation program (VR) from the State Department of Education. Now, the MRC works to advocate for disabled individuals’ ability to work, and provides rehabilitation, runs the Statewide Head Injury Program, home care and supported living.
“We are excited to collaborate, problem-solve, and implement a new approach to vocational rehabilitation,” expressed Commissioner Toni Wolf.
The MRC notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected those with disabilities, raising more employment hurdles amongst the ones that were already there. Nicole Baumer, MD, MEd, a neurologist at the Boston Children’s Hospital, and instructor of neurology at Harvard, wrote about some of the struggles brought on by the pandemic for disabled individuals. “In times of crisis, weaknesses in our institutions and social systems, and marked health and economic disparities, become even more evident,” Baumer wrote. She noted that many disabled people may have seen a sudden halt in their social and professional lives, much like their non-disabled peers, but to a higher degree. “For many, their social life is solely through schools, employment, or community programming,” said Baumer.
However, she also recognized the resilience of the disabled community, and the potential for greater engagement in the digital-sphere. During the pandemic, the MRC partnered with various institutions to create more opportunities for those with disabilities to gain skills to help in employment. Some such programs include Project (VR)², created in partnership with Viability, which utilizes virtual reality (VR) technology to provide practice in soft skills like communication, problem solving and interviewing. They also launched the MRC Technology Academy Program, in partnership with Roxbury College, CISCO and Holyoke Community College to provide certified training in cybersecurity.
“We will work together to bring down barriers and make a better state possible for individuals with disabilities,” said Wolf, “one that is truly equitable, accessible, and inclusive.”
