OAR 582-190-0005: Services and Training to Employers

(1) The Program may expend funds to educate and provide services to employers who: (a) Have hired individuals with disabilities; or (b) Are interested in hiring individuals with disabilities (section 109 of the Rehabilitation Act). (2) Pursuant to Section 109(1) of the Rehabilitation Act the Program may provide: (a) Training and technical assistance to employers regarding the employment of individuals with disabilities, including disability awareness, and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and other employment-related laws; (b) Employers receiving training and technical assistance shall also comply with requirements to provide reasonable accommodations that may be required under the ADA or other employment-related laws. (3) The Program may work with employers to: (a) Provide opportunities for work-based learning experiences including but not limited to internships, short-term employment, and apprenticeships, and opportunities for pre-employment transition services; (b) Recruit qualified applicants who are individuals with disabilities; (c) Train employees who are individuals with disabilities; and (d) Promote awareness of disability-related obstacles to continued employment. (4) The Program may: (a) Provide consultations, technical assistance, and support to employers on workplace accommodations, assistive technology, facilities and workplace access, and customized employment and supported employment, through collaboration with community partners and employers or Program contractors, across States and nationally, to enable the employers to recruit, job match, hire, and retain qualified individuals with disabilities who are Program applicants or participants; and (b) Assist employers with utilizing available financial support for hiring or accommodating individuals with disabilities. (5) The Program may provide the following vocational rehabilitation services to employers for the benefit of groups of individuals with disabilities: (a) Technical assistance to businesses that are seeking to employ individuals with disabilities in competitive integrated employment (see section 103(b)(5) of the Rehabilitation Act and 34 CFR §361.49(a)(4)); and (b) The establishment, development, or improvement of assistive technology demonstration, loan, reutilization, or financing programs in coordination with activities authorized under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to promote access to assistive technology for individuals with disabilities and employers (see section 103(b)(8) of the Rehabilitation Act and 34 CFR §361.49(a)(8)). (c) The Program may provide technical assistance to all businesses interested in hiring individuals with disabilities in competitive integrated employment (see section 103(b)(5) of the Rehabilitation Act and 34 CFR §361.49(a)(4)). (6) The Program may expend federal grant funds for: (a) The establishment, development, or improvement of assistive technology demonstration, loan, reutilization, or financing programs in coordination with activities authorized under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to promote access to assistive technology for individuals with disabilities and employers (section 103(b)(8) of the Rehabilitation Act and 34 CFR §361.49(a)(8)). (b) The authority to provide these services is for the benefit of groups of individuals with disabilities, not to meet individual needs of any one person. (c) The purpose of the provision of federal grant funds is to “promote access” to assistive technology for individuals with disabilities, not to provide the actual assistive technology devices. (d) If an individual with a disability needs an assistive technology device to obtain, maintain, or regain employment, the Program must work with the employer to determine the appropriate entity to pay for the device. If the Program pays for the assistive technology device, it must do so in accordance with the individual’s approved individualized plan for employment.