Office Of Vocational Rehabilitation

Mary Elizabeth Switzer ( February 16 , 1900 – October 16 , 1971 ) was an American public administrator and social reformer. She notably shaped the 1954 Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which provided a great expansion of vocational rehabilitation service for people with disabilities. She publicized the government's growing role in vocational rehabilitation and encouraged expansion of vocational rehabilitation projects among non-governmental organizations.

Federal government career

Switzer graduated from Radcliffe College in 1921 and started working for the federal government in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She worked successively with the Minimum Wage Board, the Public Health Service and the Federal Security Agency, becoming increasingly concerned with health care issues. In 1950 she became director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; then the commissioner of the Vocational Rehabilitation Agency in 1961; and finally, the administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service in 1967. She retired in 1970 and died in 1971.

Switzer was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors at Georgetown University in 1969. She served as president of the National Rehabilitation Association and as advisor to many American health organizations, including the Menninger Foundation and St. Elizabeths Hospital.

Awards

In recognition of her contributions to vocational rehabilitation, Switzer received the President's Certificate of Merit (1948), the Albert Lasker Award in medicine (1960), and numerous other awards. She received honorary degrees from several universities and from Gallaudet College.

Commemoration

• The Mary Switzer Building is a federal office building in Washington D.C., now housing the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Information Service.
• Mary Switzer Research Fellowships are administered by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Further reading

• Frank Bowe, Memories of Mary:Mary Elizabeth Switzer (1900-1971) undated speech accessed on Hofstra University website August 1, 2006
• Mary Elizabeth Switzer, Papers:1922-1973 - A finding aid , Harvard University Library, accessed at August 1, 2006
• Papers of Mary E. Switzer, 1959-1970 , Gallaudet University Archives accessed at August 1, 2006

Notes

1. ^ Records of the Social and Rehabilitation Service, accessed at The National Archives August 1, 2006

Kentucky: Office of Vocational Rehabilitation - Overview

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OVR: Providing direct services to people with disabilities to promote independent living, skills development and eventual employment

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L&I: Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

To assist Pennsylvanians with disabilities to secure and maintain ... Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

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Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Created with Trellian WebPage ... Print This Page . Starting November 2007 OVR and other state agencies can be accessed through a new 1 stop shop for the PA government on the ...

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This 10-minute-long video was produced by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The video provides an introduction to vocational

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