1. How many State agencies have specific divisions by disability? Please indicate location. 2 What is the breakdown (numbers) of handicapped adults by disability? 3. What are the specific numbers served by disability? 4. What are the specific numbers rehabilitated by disability? STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCIES THAT SHOW IN THEIR APPROVED STATE PLANS AS OF FEBRUARY 3, 1972, SPECIFIC DIVISIONS BY DISABILITY SUMMARY Our search for this information was confined to the State plans for the general agencies. These plans are more pertinent in answering the question that was raised. In 27 State agencies, the general and blind agencies are combined. Among these agencies, we looked for blind divisions and found 20 of them indicated such a division. The other seven had no information on this. We found that 32 of the 54 general agencies have one or more sections by disability. Division for the blind ranked first, with 20, among the agencies indicating divisions or units by disability, and mentally ill and/or mentally retarded ranked second, with 18. Correctional rehabilitation units showed up in 13 State plans; deaf, 7; alcoholism and/or drug addiction, 6. Two agencies showed selective service rejectee units and one, a division for crippled children, (in the latter instance, part of the same division that administers vocational rehabilitation services). Many of the State agencies indicated that they use consultants for the various disability categories when necessary; however, these were not included in the tabulation. Alabama.-Deaf and Blind; Mentally Handicapped; and Crippled Children. Alaska.-Blind. Arkansas.-Alcoholics; Nervous Diseases; and Prison Inmates. California.-Blind; and Alcoholics. Colorado.-Blind; Prison Inmates; and Mentally Handicapped. Florida.-Blind; and Mentally Ill. Georgia.-Blind; Mentally Ill; Mentally Retarded; and Prison Inmates. Hawaii.-Blind; and Mentally Retarded. Indiana.-Blind. Kansas.-Mentally Retarded; Selective Service Rejectees; and Prison In mates. Kentucky.-Blind. Maine.-Eye Care and Special Care; and Alcoholics. Maryland.-Blind; Deaf; Mentally Handicapped; and Prison Inmates. Massachusetts.-Public Offender; Mental Illness; Mental Retardation; Al coholism & Drug Addiction; and Epilepsy. Missouri.-Deaf; and Mentally Retarded. North Dakota.-Blind. Ohio.-Blind. Oklahoma.-Blind. Oregon. Corrections; and Mental Health. Puerto Rico.-Blind; Drug Addicts; Mentally Ill; and Mentally Retarded. Rhode Island.-Corrections; and Mental Health. South Dakota.-Mentally Ill; Mentally Retarded; and Armed Forces Rejectees. Tennessee.-Mentally Handicapped ; and Corrections. Texas. Deaf; Mentally Ill; Mentally Retarded; Alcoholism; and Correctional. Utah.-Visually Handicapped; and Adult Deaf. Vermont.-Mentally Ill; and Corrections. Virginia.-Mentally Ill and Mentally Retarded; Adult and Juvenile Public Offenders. Washington.-Corrections. West Virginia.-Blind and Deaf. Wisconsin.-Blind. Wyoming.-Blind and Deaf. 2. What is the breakdown (numbers) of handicapped adults by disability? According to the Social Security Survey of the Disabled: 1966, there were 17,753,000 disabled persons in the United States between the ages of 18-64, 34.4 percent of whom or about 6,100,000 were classified as "severely disabled.” Attached Exhibit A (Table 8.) provides a breakdown of these aggregates in terms of major disabling conditions. EXHIBIT A TABLE 8.-SEVERITY OF DISABILITY BY MAJOR DISABLING CONDITION: PERCENT SEVERELY DISABLED BY MAJOR DISABLING, CONDITION AND AGE FOR DISABLED ADULTS AGED 18 TO 64, SPRING 1966 3. What are the specific numbers served by disability? 4. What are the specific numbers rehabilitated by disability? In reply to Question 4. above, we are attaching a table (Exhibit B) which will appear in our report on "Characteristics of Clients Rehabilitated in Fiscal Years 1966-1970" showing the major disabling condition of rehabilitated clients. The major disabling conditions shown in this table correspond in some respects, but not in others, to the classifications used by the Social Security Administration in its 1966 Survey of the Disabled. With respect to Question 3. above, we do not collect statistics on persons served annually by separate disability categories. As a rough rule of the thumb, however, such an estimate can be obtained for any year by multiplying the figure on the number rehabilitated in Exhibit B. by 3.3. To illustrate, we rehabilitated 832 drug addiction cases during Fiscal Year 1970 (see Exhibit B). Multiplying 832X3.3=2,745 which is the estimated number of such cases served during that year. EXHIBIT B MAJOR DISABLING CONDITION OF PERSONS REHABILITATED BY STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCIES, FISCAL YEARS 1966-70 1 Less than 0.05 percent. 2 "Other and unspecified parts" was included with "1 upper extremity" and 1 or both lower extremities" prior to 1967. 3 Includes fingers and toes, but excludes thumbs. 4 Not available. & Alcoholism was classified as a primary cause of major disabling conditions prior to 1967. The figure in parentheses for 1966 is not to be added to the total for mental illness since it is already included in the total. 6 Beginning with 1967 excludes diabetes as the cause of another major disabling condition such as blindness or amputation. 7 Figures for 1967-70 not comparable to figures for 1966. |