FAGA’ALU, American Samoa - The newly constituted American Samoa State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) held its second meeting since inception on Friday, October 24, 2025, at the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Conference Room. Chairperson Denise Tuito’elau welcomed and thanked the participating members of the SRC for availing time to participate in this important meeting. Her apologies were offered as well for the short notice issuance for this meeting. Notwithstanding, legal mandate directs the SRC to meet at a minimum of four (4) times annually.

 

The participating SRC members included SRC Secretary Patricia Vaivao, Vice Chairperson Tafaimoana Tupuola, Manu’a District Governor Poumele Galea’i P. Poumele, High Chief Leoiti Maselino Ioane, Toloa’i Ho Ching, Sam Tagaloa, Esther Solaita, Ex-Officio Adrian Vasai, and OVR Staff members To’omaga Dr. Hermann Scanlan and ‘Iulogologo Joseph Pereira.

 

The critical issues discussed included the preparation of the State Rehabilitation Council’s Annual Report which must be submitted by December 30, 2025. The SRC had selected members for the SRC Report Committee in its first meeting to prepare this report which is to be submitted to the United States Rehabilitation Services Administration with a copy to the Governor. The SRC report for the operating year 2024 was not submitted until March of 2025 which didn’t bode well for the SRC or OVR.

 

Given that one of the salient responsibilities of the State Rehabilitation Council is to provide oversight to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, ensuring the existence of clear and concise policies and procedures is essential. Accordingly, the SRC had also established the Policies & Procedures Committee to ensure that required guiding documents are in place. As time is of the essence, given that the operation is ongoing, it is critical that these operating policies and procedures are completed and promulgated as soon as possible.

 

Inclusive as one of its priorities is the preparation of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment Survey which must be conducted, analysed, and compiled by September 30, 2025. The Comprehensive Needs Assessment Committee has been established as well. The Chair impressed on the CNAC Committed that this is a federally mandated report and continued funding is predicated on the completion and submission of this report.

 

The recently completed “Employment Summit” held October 22, 2025, raised monumental issues considering the systemic challenges confronting the SRC, OVR, and the American Samoa Government. The basic challenge is “how are we going to ensure that all individuals living with disabilities will be placed in jobs, in the backdrop of our finite economic system and the profit-motive attitude of employers?”

 

The multitude of ideas raised and discussed boiled down to the fundamental fact that the employers must be incentivized to hire individuals with disabilities and the American Samoa Government must be committed to setting aside a percent of jobs within each agency for individuals with disabilities. It was the consensus that more work needs to be done to filter these ideas down to operational levels.

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