A Letter from Peggy Rosser, Assistant Commissioner for Rehabilitation Services

From the Assistant Commissioner

This year is a testament of the value of the public vocational rehabilitation program.  Council members and VR staff carried out their respective responsibilities with clear purpose and disciplined effort.  They engaged in extensive learning and discovery, provided rigorous examination of policies and principles, and challenged conventional thinking.  Arguably the most impactful example of this effort was how completely both Council and VR staff embraced the department’s Service Integration Strategies (SIS) concept. 

Being always mindful of meticulous planning, adherence to policy and fiscal responsibility, Council and VR leadership helped to devise, refine and implement a pilot effort (OASIS) that essentially increases referrals to the workforce system by persons with disabilities, stimulates early assessment for job readiness, fosters fast tracking job search activities, and boosts access to employment opportunities.  Results were immediate and positive, and the strategy is fully engaged across the state.

Georgia VR must continue to build on such solid ground, but that does not mean our past determines our future.  We owe it to our consumers to take a leap of faith, to try something new – not to always side with the security and comfort of enough time and money.  Trial and error, uncertainty, and improbability can be allies as well as enemies. 

If we approach our future systemically. . . if we connect people, processes, resources, and values, then we become greater than the sum of our parts.  We share strengths, expertise, creativity and responsibility.  And if all goes as planned, our new ideas will have a ripple effect: the more they are integrated across the board, the more they will be accepted and the better they will work.

 This Council has earned a reputation as one that expresses sincere advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities.  Its members demonstrate energy, enthusiasm, and intellect, and they will continue to make great strides to ensure that vocational rehabilitation remains a significant force in the lives of Georgians with disabilities. 

This Council, coupled with the extraordinary VR staff it supports, will surpass their expectations precisely because they have kept and will always keep their eyes on the prize: increasing successful employment outcomes and independence for Georgians with disabilities.   

Sincerely,

Peggy D. Rosser

Assistant Commissioner for Rehabilitation Services