Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Inventory of the California Department of Rehabilitation Records
R204, F3934
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: California Department of Rehabilitation Records
Dates: 1947-1997
Collection number: R204, F3934
Creator:
California Department of Rehabilitation
Collection Size:
38 cubic feet and three motion picture films
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The Department of Rehabilitation records consist of 38 cubic feet of textual records and three motion picture films covering
the period 1947 through 1997. The earliest records document the establishment of the department and the formation of departmental
policies. The bulk of the records, which cover the period 1960 through 1996, document the activities of the department.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
[Identification of item], Dept. of Rehabilitation Records, [ID number].[series number], [box and folder number], California
State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
The California State Archives acquired the California Department of Rehabilitation Records according to state law.
In 1961 Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr. established the Health and Welfare Agency as part of his plan for the reorganization
of state government (Statutes 1961, Chapter 2037). Designed to reduce government costs and improve efficiency, Governor Brown's
reorganization plan created eight super agencies within the executive branch of California government (See Statutes 1961,
Chapter 2038).
As originally organized, the Health and Welfare Agency consisted of the departments of Social Welfare, Mental Hygiene, and
Public Health. In the ongoing effort to further streamline government for maximum efficiency and public utility, the Brown
administration added the Department of Rehabilitation to the departmental divisions of the Health and Welfare Agency (Statutes
1963, Chapter 1747). In addition, the Citizens Advisory Committee on Aging, established in 1955, and the Office of Atomic
Energy Development and Radiation Protection, created in 1959, became organizational components of the Health and Welfare Agency
(Statutes. 1963, Chapter 1746; Statutes 1963, Chapter 1747, Sec. 12).
Historically, the California government developed various agencies and services to aid and rehabilitate the physically and
mentally handicapped as well as the deaf and blind. The Federal Rehabilitation Act established the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
within the Department of Education in California as early as 1921. The Department of Education administered the Division of
Special Schools and Services. Established in 1946, the division included such services as the California School for the Blind,
Training Centers for the Adult Blind, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Schools for the Cerebral-Palsied Children.
The Department of Social Welfare, established in 1942, administered the Bureau of Aid to the Needy Blind. The 1963 legislation
consolidated the relevant services of these agencies into one Department of Rehabilitation.
The primary function of the Department of Rehabilitation is to rehabilitate and find suitable employment for persons with
physical, mental, and emotional handicaps. The department secures its rehabilitative objective through the application of
specific programs administered within departmental divisions. As of 1997, the major divisions of the Department of Rehabilitation
are the Office of the Director, Executive Branch, Program Management and Support Division, Independent Living Division, and
Field Operations Division.
The department administers its principal service, vocational rehabilitation, through statewide district and branch offices.
Various subdivisions of the department provide counseling, training, and placement services. Those subdivisions are Transition
Programs and Services, Community Access and Rehabilitation Engineering, Independent Living Rehabilitation Services, Services
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted, and Cooperative Programs. The department also
works to develop and implement new rehabilitation technology and methodology, and to protect and promote the rights of persons
with disabilities.
The Department of Rehabilitation records consist of 38 cubic feet of textual records and three motion picture films covering
the period 1947 through 1997. The earliest records document the establishment of the department and the formation of departmental
policies. The bulk of the records, which cover the period 1960 through 1996, document the activities of the department. These
activities include reviewing legislation affecting the disabled, managing vocational training programs for the disabled, and
providing consulting services to assist in the removal of mobility and communication barriers. The collection is organized
into twenty-one series. The files consist primarily of correspondence, memoranda, bill analyses, reports, and meeting minutes.
Publications, blue prints, photographs, and surveys are also found throughout the collection.
Of particular interest are the program files relating to the department's vocational training and independent living programs.
These programs include the Transition Partnership Program and the WorkAbility II and III Programs. The Transition Partnership
Program was established in 1987 to develop cooperative relationships with local education agencies in order to strengthen
transition services to high school students with disabilities. The WorkAbility programs were established between 1981 and
1987. The purpose of WorkAbility II is to provide vocational training and job placement services to disabled students enrolled
in regional occupational programs and adult schools. The purpose of WorkAbility III is to provide the same services to students
enrolled in community colleges. The files in these series contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, course catalogs, and
surveys.
The largest series in the collection is Series R204.012 (Subject Files), which contains records created and collected by the
Community Access and Rehabilitation Engineering section. This section was established in 1974. Its mission was to educate,
consult, and advise building officials regarding the implementation of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, which
requires access to all public facilities. The files of this series contain correspondence, memoranda, photographs, blueprints,
and publications relating to the removal of mobility and communication barriers.
Further accruals are expected.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California. Dept. of Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation
Vocational rehabilitation