People with sight and hearing loss or other disabilities are not without help.

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) is located in Birmingham but its reach extends all over Jefferson county, with the north Jefferson area being no exception. The goal of ADRS is to provide help for those who suffer from mental and physical disabilities, including people with hearing and sight loss.

Vocational Rehabilitation Service is a division within ADRS which services adults and teenagers. Jamie Glass, a counselor at VRS, said that it is dedicated to assisting clients in regard to education and employment.

“The purpose of Rehabilitation Service is to help individuals with disabilities to maintain or get a job,” he said.

According to the ADRS Web site, Vocational Service is the largest division. Others in the government-funded organization include Early Intervention System (for children three and under), Children’s Rehabilitation and Independent/Homebound Service (for the most severely disabled).

ADRS also offers assistance to those who cannot work but require help with living independently.

It is not uncommon for people to lose sight and hearing to a certain degree as they age. Among the clients at ADRS, a significant number of them are seniors looking for jobs.

“We are getting a lot of older people,” said Glass. “Probably more so now than ever before because of the economy or because their retirement is not enough and they need to be able to go back and work even though it’s part time.”

Services include payment for hearing aids and glasses, equipment for the disabled and tools for those working in manual labor.

“If it is something needed for that person to be able to maintain or get a job then that’s something that we can consider and see if we can help out with,” said Glass.

Vocational Service helps clients by putting them in what is called Paid Work Experience, a program where a client volunteers in a workplace but is temporarily paid by ADRS through the Alabama Institute for the Blind and Deaf, a partner to the ADRS. The purpose is to give the client experience in a job before moving on to another endeavor.

“The main thing that sets us apart in what we try to bring to the table is that we do counseling with individuals in regards to their disability that has effect on their work or other issues relating to employment, so that we’re not just paying for something,” Glass said. “When everything works perfectly we’re establishing a relationship with that individual and really making sure that their needs are being met and that they are able to work successfully.”

For more information on ADRS, go to rehab.state.al.us or visit the building on 236 Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood, Birmingham.