COVID-19 Best Practices for VR Professionals

Whether you are working in an office or remotely, you may no longer be able to provide services face-to-face at your agency under the guidelines of the CDC during the COVID-19 outbreak. These best practices support you to continue serving people with disabilities while protecting yourself and them.

Limiting transmission of COVID-19 is vital for the health and safety of everyone. It is important to protect not only yourself and those you care about during the COVID-19 outbreak, but those whom you service – the most underserved people with disabilities across the country.

Follow CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 Outbreak. If services are no longer provided on a face-to-face basis at your agency, use best practices around remote work and learning, telecounseling, and other recommended practices for vocational rehabilitation professionals.

Every state has different rules for telecounseling and other counseling activities. Reach out to your state board for information regarding your state’s compliance rules. Also see general information on HIPAA compliance.

Want to know more about how COVID-19 best practices can be incorporated into your employment strategies? Check out these resources:

Watch webcasts and get presentation materials.

• Client Engagement in a Virtual Environment 
• Meeting the Challenges of Going Virtual
• Webinar: Ethics and Self-Care: Learn how self-care concepts relate to professional performance, to colleagues within the work setting, and to the ethical provision of rehabilitation counseling services.
• Explore upcoming webinars: Trainings on innovative strategies VRs are using to provide services during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Collaborative Partnerships: Strategies for CRPs on Pre-Employment Transition Services.

Thank you to the many agencies who prepared and curated the resources included in Project E3’s COVID-19 Best Practices for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals Resource Roundup:

• WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center)
• CIT-VR (The George Washington University’s Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research and Education)
• VR Development Group

• COVID-19 Resources: COVID-19 Resources for VR professionals, people with disabilities, and the general public.
• Telecounseling Resource Collection: Tools for working with clients if or when services can no longer be provided on a face-to-face basis.
• Distance Service Delivery Resources: COVID-19 Resources for Distance Service Delivery
• WIOA Concerns: Rehabilitation Services Administration’s Q&As to address title I of WIOA concerns as state vocational rehabilitation agencies seek to provide continuity of operations for individuals with disabilities during the #COVID19 pandemic.
• Microsoft Accessibility Blog: What the Disability Community Can Teach Us About Working Remotely.