State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies contract with the IPARRT team to develop their triennial Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA). CSNAs are required under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and overseen by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the federal partner responsible for supporting and monitoring the VR program. IPARRT works collaboratively with state VR agencies and key stakeholders to help identify the needs and challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities in obtaining and maintain competitive integrated employment.
With respect to students and youth with disabilities, the WIOA legislation specifically requires state agencies to:
- identify, report, and address their need for pre-employment transition services or other transition services; and
- assess the needs for transition services and pre-employment transition services and the extent to which such services are coordinated with transition services provided under the IDEA.
The IPARRT team specializes in supporting the CSNA process by collecting and analyzing qualitative (e.g., focus group and interviews) and quantitative (e.g., RSA-911) data to identify gaps and challenges, develop recommendations, draft reports, and disseminate findings. In partnership with the state agency, CSNAs serve to inform policy and programmatic decisions, state plans, and improve career development opportunities and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
For more information, please visit the following link:
Rehabilitation Services Administration-Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment Guide (PDF)