ATLANTA, Ga. – The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) is pleased to announce that Georgia is among 20 states selected to receive a $10.5 million federal grant to improve economic self-sufficiency for children and youth with disabilities.  The five-year grant, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration’s (RSA) Pathway to Partnership of the Disability Innovation Fund, will focus on creating systemic approaches to enhance post-school outcomes for students.  The grant came to fruition thanks to the efforts of a collaborative grant-writing team led by GVRA. 

The grant-writing team partnered with the state’s Centers for Independent Living to secure the funding, with plans to extend the partnership to include the Georgia Department of Education and other educational organizations with the goal of preparing children and youth with disabilities for life after high school. Over five years, GVRA, along with its partners, will pilot, refine, and implement proposed demonstration projects, while collecting and analyzing data that will enable other states to learn from Georgia’s experiences. 

“We are pleased to receive the additional funding in support of youth with disabilities across the state and we are enormously proud of the grant-writing team’s work on behalf of the agency,” says GVRA Executive Director Chris Wells. “This effort underscores our commitment to foster collaborative partnerships, particularly with our sister agencies and educational partners.”

For additional information, contact Carla Murphy, Public Affairs Director at [email protected] or (470) 816-6501.

 

About the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency

Established in July 2012, the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) operates five integrated and interdependent statutory programs that share a primary goal - to serve Georgians with disabilities to empower them to live independent lives.