2019 DSB Outcomes and Results

Fiscal Year 2019 (October 2018 - September 2019) was especially challenging. DSB was forced to implement Order of Selection waitlist for the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. This reduced the number of clients the agency was able to serve. The waitlist was the only way the agency was able to manage scarce resources. By the end of 2019, DSB served 73% of the people who had been on the waitlist. Because of Order of Selection, employment outcomes were less robust for 2019, but the quality of results for these individuals was strong.

• Agency Results
• Employment Outcomes
• Previous Outcomes and Results

RESULTS OF FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR (FFY) 2019 INCLUDE:

Employment

• Eighty-five (85) customers gained or retained competitive jobs
  • The average wage of $21.76 per hour.
  • Our Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program served 1,281 customers in FFY 2019.
  • Four hundred thirty-nine (439) students with disabilities received VR services.
• The Orientation and Training Center (OTC) served 35 customers, which included:
  • Fifteen (15) full-time residential students.
  • Eighteen (18) full-time or part-time commuting students.
  • Three (3) students enrolled in Long Distance Braille courses
  • Three (3) students studying English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Our Business Enterprise Program (BEP) provides opportunities for our customers to operate successful food service businesses in government buildings that benefit the state and our economy as a whole. In FFY 2019:
  • Twenty-three (23) facilities combined had total gross sales of $7,439,010.
  • $556,050 was collected as sales tax from all facilities.
  • $286,126 was collected as payroll tax from all facilities.
  • One new facility opened in FFY 2019

Independent Living

• One hundred three individuals who are blind or have low vision, aged 21 - 55, and do not choose employment received independent living services. Some of these people may choose an employment track after receiving independent living services.
• One thousand ninety-three (1,093) individuals over the age of 55, and not seeking to return to work, received independent living services.
• Thirteen (13) individuals 100 years old or older received independent living services.

Youth Services

School-to-Work Transition (Age 14 to 21)

• The DSB Youth Employment Solutions 1 (YES 1) is a two-week program for 14-15 year-old students giving them the opportunity to explore their career interests and aptitudes.
  • Sixteen (16) students participated in YES 1 in FFY 2019.
• The YES 2 program is a six-week program designed to provide valuable work and independent living experiences to high school students.
  • Thirty-three (33) students participated in the YES 2 program
• The Bridge program enrolled six (6) high school students in summer courses at Eastern Washington University (EWU). Bridge is a five-week on-campus experience, where they learned to advocate for and secure accommodations in higher education programs, experienced life in the dorm, and developed systems for navigating a college campus.
• Seven (7) college students ages 18 – 21 participated in the Student Work and Academic Growth (SWAG) program. In addition to taking classes at EWU, these students expanded their responsibilities and independence by working part-time jobs and living in off-campus housing.
• 2019 was the second year for the Life-skills Extended Assistance Program (LEAP) for students who are interested in attending YES 1, YES 2, or Bridge, but would like more practice with personal independence and life skills.
  • Twenty (20) young people took part in the weeklong experiences held in Tacoma, Monroe, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Mount Vernon, and Puyallup.

Services for Youth Ages 9 to 13

• DSB sponsors weeklong Skills Workshops for students ages nine through 13. In FFY 2019, Skills workshops were held in Mt. Vernon, Seattle, Tacoma, Monroe, and Vancouver. The focus of the camps was on the expanded core curriculum: independent living skills, recreation, technology, and orientation and mobility.
  • Twenty-three (23) students participated in Skills Workshops.

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EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES

In Federal Fiscal Year 2019, the Department of Services for the Blind helped 85 people who are blind or have low vision successfully find or retain employment. These individuals are working in a variety of occupations at the organizations listed below.

DSB was operating under Order of Selection during Federal Fiscal Year 2019. This reduced the number of clients the agency able to serve. Order of Selection implemented a waitlist for the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. Due to this waitlist, employment outcomes were less robust, but the quality of results for these individuals was strong.

Job titles are from the categories described in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) list of Occupational Profiles. To learn the occupation's definition, national employment and wage estimates, and industry and geographic profiles, visit the BLS website.

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