Georgia is seeking input on the services provided to disabled people by the Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living programs operated by the Georgia Department of Labor.

The input will be used to help devise plans for how the state will use federal and state funds to provide a wide array of rehabilitation services to achieve goals and objectives in the fiscal years 2011-2013. Those plans will be reviewed by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the federal agency responsible for administrative and fiduciary oversight of the VR and IL funding provided by Congress.

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living programs provide job placement assistance, training, education and other services to disabled residents of Fayette and Coweta counties.

Area residents are encouraged to attend the public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation between 1-3 p.m. The building is located at 6135 Roosevelt Highway, Warm Springs; for directions call 706-655-5000.

Citizens who wish to speak will be limited to five minutes and no extended two-way dialogue will be permitted. Those who cannot attend the hearing may submit written statements of no more than two pages, double spaced, that must be postmarked by Friday, Jan. 22.

Those comments may be emailed to shepard.linda@peppinc.org or ppuckett@silcga.org. They may also be mailed to:

• Linda Shepard, SRC Chair, c/o Parents Educating Parents and Professionals Inc., 3680 Kings Highway, Douglasville, Ga. 30135; or

• Patricia Puckett, executive director, Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, 755 Commerce Drive, Suite 415, Decatur, Ga. 30033.

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