Many Latinos with disabilities face challenges in becoming informed about the services and benefits available to them. Language differences may contribute to mis- and non-communication, and may add to individuals' exclusion from such programs. This can be especially true when it comes to services for people with disabilities such as vocational rehabilitation. Some people attribute Latinos' tendency to shy away from social services to cultural attitudes; that talking about a disability should only be done within the family, that there is something shameful about having a disability. These attitudes/behaviors may hinder disabled Latinos' ability to improve their quality of life.

One of the most well known governmental services for people with disabilities is the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Every state has a vocational rehabilitation office, however services and procedures vary from state to state. During the Bridges to Employment Conference, the local vocational rehabilitation office conducted a workshop on the services it provides.

DARS
In Texas, the department is called the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). The main purpose of DARS is "to assist people with disabilities to participate in their communities by achieving employment of choice, living as independently as possible, and accessing high quality services."

San Antonio's DARS office assists individuals with disabilities to get ready for employment, and most importantly, find and maintain a job. DARS services include counseling, job training, medical care and supplying assistive equipment.

For example, a Texas DARS counselor can assist a person with a disability attend college or trade school in order to get job skills in preparation for employment. DARS can also help someone obtain adaptive devices in a car, enabling a person with a disability to drive their car to work. The services that San Antonio's DARS offers are straightforward: their main goal is employment for the disability community.

What's more important is that the counselors at this agency have a strong understanding of how to relate to their consumers. They make a true effort make their clients feel comfortable about seeking help. Some of the panelists addressed how they handle the barriers Latinos may have when seeking services.

Creating a comfort zone
One of the counselors, Frank Salas, spoke about how he first tries to build a comfort zone between him and his consumer, often by beginning with a joke. Salas said that most Latinos he meets with want to receive services. Then, he puts the ball in the individual's court by communicating to the customers that they are "the star of the show." When asked if their Latino clients faced any cultural barriers, Frank Nieto, another counselor, spoke of how there maybe differences between the mothers' and fathers' points of view on what services they require. The mother often desires more privacy and is more protective towards the child than the father.

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