From Richard Couch
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services
January marked the 30th anniversary of when the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services first opened its doors as a stand-alone agency. By consolidating services for Alabama’s children and adults with disabilities under one roof, specialized services, resources and supports were streamlined to better serve people with any type of disability at any age and stage of a person’s life.
The department, which officially began operations on Jan. 3, 1995, was created through the passage of HB 125 on May 5, 1994. The independent Department of Rehabilitation Services was established upon Gov. Jim Folsom’s signature on May 9, 1994.
Just like in its beginnings, ADRS Commissioner Jane Elizabeth Burdeshaw said the department remains focused on enabling Alabamians with disabilities reach their maximum potential. “Alabama’s model of One Department / One Mission truly enables quality services that are both individualized and specialized across the lifespan,” she said. “This tailored and responsive service provision has and will continue to lead to successful outcomes while also maximizing the efficient use of federal and state funds.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey expressed her gratitude to the department for remaining dedicated to its mission. “For three decades, the ADRS has illuminated the path for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians seeking to overcome obstacles in their journeys to achieve independence and self-sufficiency,” she said. “Today, it’s mission is more important than ever as we strive to open the door for every Alabamian to become part of our growing workforce.”
Through the years, the department’s capabilities have grown exponentially. In Fiscal Year 24, ADRS served 70,236 Alabamians, including 43,365 through Vocational Rehabilitation Service, 15,901 through Children’s Rehabilitation Service, 9,260 through Alabama’s Early Intervention system, and 1,710 through the State of Alabama Independent Living/Homebound program.
Because of the vision and determination of pioneering leaders, ADRS is able to serve people with disabilities through a successful continuum-of-care system that is looked to as a model by other states.
The framework for ADRS was established with the passage of the 1920 Smith-Fess Act signed into federal law to secure disability services for veterans and citizens. Rehabilitation Services became a division within Alabama’s Department of Education that same year. The Vocational Rehabilitation Program was added after the Social Security Act of 1935, and later, services were expanded to children in the 1940s during the polio epidemic. The children’s and vocational programs were merged in 1956, and 1965 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act added specialized services for individuals who are deaf and blind.
In 1972, the Homebound Program was launched after Governor George C. Wallace was paralyzed from an assassination attempt and came to realize there was a large number of individuals with significant disabilities in Alabama who had little or no resources to help them rehabilitate and remain in their homes. In 1985, the State Department of Education established the Early Intervention program to serve children experiencing developmental delays from birth to three years. A year later, the division’s vocational program celebrated the 200,000th person rehabilitated into employment in Alabama.
In the years that followed, Rehabilitation Director Lamona Lucas and her Executive Leadership Team advocated for an independent agency where Alabamians with disabilities would be better served through a continuum of care system. This integrated approach would prove to provide a seamless transition for the state’s children and adults who need individualized services across a multitude of programs for as long as they require them. It would also increase accountability and efficiency through outcome-based budgeting, provide increased flexibility to rapidly respond to people’s needs, improve overall access to services in every Alabama county, and expand services through community partnerships.
Today, ADRS is the lead state agency coordinating services for Alabamians with disabilities and their families. As ‘One Department. One Mission.’, ADRS works with partners statewide to provide services like individualized assessments, environmental or equipment modifications, specialized therapies, family support and teaching, assistive technology, job training and placement, and more; whatever it takes to help them reach their maximum potential.
Visit rehab.alabama.gov for more information and to get connected to a local ADRS office.
