RIS – Rehabilitation Instructional Services

Service goal: To work with individuals with severe disabilities to achieve increased independence through the provision of individually planned rehabilitation services. These services may be provided in either an individual or a group setting.

Orientation and Adjustment to Disability Services

Services include:

  • Addressing various aspects of the client’s disability and the impact of the disability on independent living and work

  • Development of adequate social functioning in clients who are experiencing personal and interpersonal problems, whether pertaining to temporary situational stress or a disabling condition

  • Assistance in developing self-help skills through the client’s own self-directed adjustment to and acceptance of their disability(ies), increase self-confidence, increased independence and independent problem solving, etc.

  • Instruction in personal habits, responsibility, and decision making

  • Referral to and instruction in using of disability-related services available in the community (for example, Arizona Long Term Care, Arizona Health Care Containment Cost System, Arizona Department of Behavioral Health Services, etc.)

Orientation and Mobility Training Services

Services include:

  • Safe transfer and travel/navigation techniques

  • Instruction in how to follow directions to reach a specific location

  • Communication skills and strategies for contact with the public

  • Use of the telephone for information and emergency procedures

Independent Living Skills Development Services

Services include:

  • Personal appearance, hygiene, and grooming

  • Learning to organize and dress for school or work

  • Personal safety

  • Personal management of medications

  • Use of simple (low-technology) adaptive aids and devices

  • Appropriate use of personal care attendants

  • Financial planning, money management, and budgeting, etc.

  • Meal planning and nutrition, etc.

NOTE: These services are not intended to serve the following clients:

RSA clients who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or those who have combined vision and hearing loss are served under a separate RSA contract.

NOTE: These services are not intended to:

  • Provide job development and placement assistance

  • Assess the client’s vocational skills or conduct a situational assessment

  • Teach specific vocational skills

  • Provide therapeutic or other counseling intervention to address significant behavioral or psychological issues.

Manual Adaptive Communication Training

Manual Adaptive Communication Training services is focused instruction in American Sign Language (ASL) to assist VR Clients with hearing loss in acquiring vocabulary skills necessary to participate in Vocational Rehabilitation services. Manual Adaptive Communication Training may include, but not limited to, instruction in:

  1. Minimal sign language vocabulary, including signs as required for assessment and employment purposes;

  2. How signs are formed including handshape, position, orientation, and movement production characteristics of signs, and

  3. Grammatical elements important to sign language communication (e.g. use of sign space, sign verb agreement, facial expressions/non-manual behaviors and number incorporation.