State vocational rehabilitation services (VR)

The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded the Oregon Commission for the Blind $8,031,455 on October 1, 2025, under the Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States program (CFDA 84.126), a formula grant supporting state vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities.

The award funds comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services including career counseling, job training, workplace accommodations, assistive technology support, and independent living skills development. The Oregon Commission for the Blind, a state agency designated to administer the VR program, delivers these services from Portland, Oregon. The funding covers the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.

The grant operates under the state's VR services portion of its Unified or Combined State Plan approved under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The Oregon Commission for the Blind is authorized to sub-award portions of vocational rehabilitation funding to local workforce boards, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to expand service delivery capacity across Oregon, though the source does not document specific sub-awards or their amounts.