Access to Vocational Rehabilitation: The Impact of Race and Ethnicity

This study, of racial and ethnic minorities’ access (application and entry) to the state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) system, found that access percentages were higher for African Americans, lower for Whites, and about the same for Hispanic Americans relative to the percentages of persons of the same race and ethnicity who are visually impaired in the national population. It concluded that the socioeconomic disadvantages of African Americans who are visually impaired increase their need to access VR relative to Whites who are visually impaired.