Did you know that if your child is on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the school is required to notify the Department of Rehabilitation Services when your child is 14? Upon the school’s or the parent’s request, Voc Rehab or Visual Services can participate in your child’s IEP, and can offer services to your child to help prepare him or her for employment and for independent living. Services might include such things as reader services (for visually impaired), tuition and books (for a college student), and medical services (for a condition which is a barrier to employment). The child must meet income and disability criteria. To find out more about the program, call Rehabilitation Services at 800/845-8476 (voice/TTY).

Department of Rehabilitation Services’ state-funded Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped operates a Braille textbook program, and provides books on audio tape for Oklahomans who are blind or cannot use regular print materials due to disabilities.

The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services also operates the Oklahoma School for the Blind, the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, and the Disability Determination Division, which determines medical eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. For more information, contact 800/ 845-8476. The number is accessible by phone or telecommunications equipment for the deaf.

last modified: October 2004