work and voc rehab?

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So I am wondering what your guys experiences with Voc Rehab have been? I have been with them for over a year now and still dont have a job. I did a 100 hour paid work experience thing at safeway and that didnt turn into a job. From what I understand it was more of the way they were hiring when I got done with the hundred hours. They had just moved to where corporate had to call me and such. Or and I really hope this wasnt the case but they could of just used me as free labor. When I worked for them I didnt hear a thing eather way about weather I was doing good or bad. What are your ecperiences with Voc Rehab?

Also maybe someone on here knows the job market in Rapid City South Dakota? Do you see South Dakota as a "booming" place for jobs? I am mainly looking for something in security or computers.

Sorry if this seems disjointed im kinda not sure how to phrase this stuff and such.

Voc Rehab did almost nothing for me. They gave me $75 a month for transportation related to job searching and a job coach who helped me with my resumé and cover letter, and gave a bit of advice about which industries I should pursue work in, and paid for work clothes. That's it; nothing related to my specific problems with work, no job leads I couldn't have found myself, no testing.

My experience wasn't helpful but I went to em because of physical disabilities instead of AS. I have a rare low vision disorder & my counselor was completely blind & I think she felt I should be able to do all these things instead of needing help because she could but her condition was known all her life & she received help as a kid & teen but my conditions weren't diagnosed till my sneior year of high-school so I was thrown to the wolves so the speak when I was in school instead of having proper help. She also only focused on my vision disorder which is my most limiting thing but my other conditions should of been factored in too. She just kept telling me to assert myself with employers instead of actually trying to talk to employers & help me get job interviews for me. I was doing all the work myself so it was like I wasn't working with voc rehab except I had to keep checking in with em so it was extra work. I was in Louisiana thou & I hear they're worse than lots of other states because politicians want to completely cut all social programs to give more tax breaks for businesses but they cant completely cut the programs so they gut as much as they can & people who need em get butt-f#cked.

I am more then halfway through the training, my Microsoft Office skills are better and more up to date but my keyboarding still sucks so I don't see myself anymore marketable at the end. That I will have to do all of the job searching by myself WTF, why did I need them?. Why do I need to go there to use their computers to go on indeed.com? To find jobs online is the least effective way. What I need is leads and some of the networking done for me and that is just not provided. If I am burnt-out from job hunting and need a break and I report nothing for that week they will have no understanding. These people put the handicapped parking spaces in the BACK of the parking lot. The 2 of the 3 teachers (the bully teacher I did not have) and the students are understanding and kind, hell they glued my glasses back together when when frame broke but the bureaucracy they work for is s**t.

Dealing with Nevada vocRehab has been the most depressing experience I have ever had. They aren't able to deal with anyone with a mental challenge. I don't think they even believe people have mental problems. Sure if you are a construction worker who was in an accident and had both legs cut off, they can see that and help you. No see, no help. When it comes to employment their experience is limited to the lowest levels such as McDonalds. They can't comprehend higher level jobs such as computer programmers and engineers. They never revel to you what their policies are putting the client at a big disadvantage.

This is the most incompetent, unhelpful, lying, and very likely fraudulent (They accept money from the Federal government without intending to help clients.) agency in government.

When you go get help from the Client Assistance Program, they act more like an advocate for vocRehab than for you, the client. More on this in a new topic.

My experience was interesting. Vocational counselor never placed anyone in the IT field before. Vocational assessment with a partner agency took a year to get. It lasted a day. It was a data entry position. Assessor watched every move I made. Instruction was near constant. No personal space. That and fatigue problems lead to a cognitive shut down. He tells my voc counselor I'm essentially unemployable. That lead to a recommendation of partial hospitalization.

My assessor meant well as did all other parties involved. Such was my experience.

I'm with them now doing nonpaid trial work which is basically them just seeing if I'm worth investing any money into. My experience with counselors has been 50/50, 2 good and 2 bad. If you don't like the counselor they assign to you then I would suggest seeing if you could request a new one. At first they had me work at some KMart since I lived far out and there weren't a lot of options and that last about 2-3 days before I ran into some issues and they put me on hold. I've since moved into the city where there is a lot more opportunities and I'm back at it again, they have me resuming the trial at some basic IT type training place ran by a company that contracts out for Voc Rehab. The owner or whatever of this company seems to like me and I write her emails and stuff to keep her updated on what I am doing, I like the instructor I work with too. Soon I'll be moving on to the next step in which they also pay me so that's nice, Voc Rehab has told me they could pay for me to go to school too which is a real opportunity if it turns out. I'm just taking it as it comes tho, I don't have any other options.