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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
The Smith-Fess Act, also known as the "National Civilian Vocational Rehabilitation Act," established the civilian vocational rehabilitation program, the first federally funded program to assist civilians with disabilities. The program was an expansion of the 1918 "Soldier's Rehabilitation Act" which provided matching federal funds to states for primarily vocational services such as: vocational guidance, training, occupational adjustment, prosthetics, and placement services. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| 1917 | President Woodrow Wilson signs the Smith-Hughes Act, which leads to the creation of the Federal Board of Vocational Education. |
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| 1918 | President Woodrow Wilson signs the Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act, also known as the "Soldier's Rehabilitation Act." This expands the role of the Federal Board of Vocational Education by allowing them to provide services for the vocational rehabilitation of veterans disabled during World War I. |
| May 27, 1920 | Senate passes the Smith-Fess bill which moves it forward to President Woodrow Wilson for approval. |
| 1924 | Due to the success of the civilian rehabilitation program, the program is extended. |
| 1930 | Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department launches a census of residents who may be eligible for benefits under the Vocational Rehabilitation Service. |
