Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services

150 State House Station
Augusta, 04333-0150
Telephone: 1-800-698-4440
Toll Free TTY: 1-800-755-0023
FAX: (207) 287-5292

PLEASE NOTE: The above address is that of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) Central Office.
For a list of BRS field office locations and telephone numbers, please follow this link: BRS Office Directory

What's New?

2009 DVR State Plan Draft is now available
May 2, 2008: Notice of Public Hearing : The Division will hold public hearings on May 15, 2008 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m at the Bangor Career Center, Pushaw Conference Room, 45 Oak Street, Suite 1, Bangor and at the Maine Department of Labor, Central Maine Commerce Center, Frances Perkins Room, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta.
The purpose of these hearings is to receive comments on the State Plan updates for Vocational Rehabilitation and Supported Employment services. American Sign Language interpreters will be available at both sites through video conferencing.
CONTACT: A draft of the State Plan will be posted on this site May 9, 2008. For a written copy or alternative formats call the Division at 207-623-7964 or 1-888-755-0023 TTY. Written comments may be made to Penny Plourde, Director, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, 150 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0150 or by e-mail to Alice.C.Johnson@maine.gov and must be received by 5:00 p.m., May 28, 2008.
Mission Transition 2008; Regional Transitonal fairs being offered state wide. Last year, more than 800 people participated in the statewide events. Information on this year's fair available here.
Updated State Plan 2008
For a written copy of the State Plan, call the Division at 207-623-7964 or 1-888-755-0023 TTY.
January 31, 2007: A new document, BRS 2005-2006 Highlights (file format: PDF; file size: 510 Kb), provides an overview of BRS operations and recent achievements. This document is also available in plain text format version (file size: 31 Kb).
(Please Note: In order to view or print the PDF version of this document, you will need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader installed on you computer. To get this program, go to Adobe's Acrobat Reader web site. If you need this document in an alternative format, please contact the BRS Webmaster.)

Mission

BRS works to bring about full access to employment, independence and community integration for people with disabilities.

Organization

Working with its partners in the Maine Department of Labor's CareerCenter and the rehabilitation community, the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) works with persons with disabilities through its three primary service provision units:

Programs & Services

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

DVR administers the General Vocational Rehabilitation Program (GVR) and DBVI administers the Blind Vocational Rehabilitation Program (BVR) . These programs offer a wide variety of assistance to eligible individuals to help them get or keep a job.

Extended Support

The Extended Support Programs (Basic Support and Head Injured Support) provide services to persons with the most severe disabilities in order that they may maintain jobs in community-based supported employment settings gained through their participation in either of the two VR Programs cited above.

Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mainers receive VR services through the General VR Program. In addition, the Division of Deafness provides or administers a variety of services for Maine's Deaf or Hard of Hearing citizens.

Independent Livings Services

DVR administers the Independent Living Services Program through a contract with a private agency. The Independent Living Services Program assists people who have significant disabilities to live more independently in their homes and communities.

DBVI administers the Independent Living Rehabilitation Program for Older Blind Adults that helps individuals with severe visual impairments adapt to the loss of vision.

Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

In addition to the Blind VR Program, DBVI also provides assistance to local school systems through the Blind Children's Education Program helping parents and educators of children with severe visual impairments. The Business Enterprise Program helps adults with vision loss establish and operate food service businesses. Other services designed specifically for individuals with vision problems are also offered by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Ticket to Work Program

DVR and DBVI participate in the Social Security Administration’s Ticket-to-Work Program which assists beneficiaries of SSI and/or SSDI to become self-supporting through employment.

Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services

The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services (CDPAS) program provides personal assistance services to eligible individuals allowing them to live in their own homes instead of in institutional settings.

Client Assistance Program (CAP)

Funded by a separate Federal grant and administered by an independent, non-profit organization, the Client Assistance Program assists both VR and ILR Program consumers who require advocacy or other assistance in achieving a satisfactory rehabilitation outcome.

Links to Other Resources

Resources for Persons with Disabilities contains links to web sites about specific disabilities, as well as organizations of and for persons with disabilities.

Resources for Rehabilitation Service Providers has links to web sites which have information, tools and other resources for persons and organizations that provide services to people with disabilities.

Links to Assistive Technology Information Resources contains links to web sites with lots of information about accessible design for the World Wide Web, computer software, and all types of information technologies.

Links to Manufacturers of Assistive Technology Devices contains links to web sites of companies and organizations that develop and sell assistive technology solutions for persons with disabilities.

Links to Other Maine State Government Web Pages

State of Maine Home Page

Directory of State Agency Web Pages

Department of Labor Home Page

Maine Secretary of State's rules for Department of Labor programs contains links to the official rules governing BRS's programs.

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If you have suggestions for improving this website or have difficulty accessing any of its content, please contact: Webmaster.BRS@Maine.gov