Narrative: d. 2. O. viii. I.

Goal Area 1: Target Populations

Priorities

• Improve customer employment outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities, including but not limited to individuals who are blind or significantly visually impaired; individuals who are from minority backgrounds; individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (including autism, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities); individuals with mental health disorders, and veterans with disabilities.
• Increase counselors’ knowledge of work incentives and the effect of earnings on Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income to improve counselors’ ability to provide vocational counseling on decisions impacting employment.
• Provide a customer service delivery system that makes information available to customers on their options for services, providers, careers, and other areas, to enable them to make informed choices and to provide them with quality services that are delivered in a timely manner.

Strategies

• Strengthening and expanding collaboration, outreach, and education with various partners to efficiently and effectively use existing resources.
• Assessing business processes, policy, training, and organizational capacity on an ongoing basis to make consistent improvements in employment outcomes.
• Increasing employer knowledge and awareness regarding the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
• Increasing customer knowledge and awareness of VRD services and benefits offered to individuals with disabilities, and other state and federal assistance programs.
• Promoting the use of the Language Line as a resource for those who are not fluent in English.
• Actively recruiting VR counselors who are Spanish speakers to better serve the Hispanic population.
• Strengthening and developing relationships with local referral sources that serve individuals who are minorities who have the most significant disabilities.
• Providing eye exams to Hispanic individuals in south Texas who lack other medical resources.

Success will be measured by:

• an increase in the number of individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders (including autism), or mental health disorders, and veterans served;
• an increase in the number of successful employment outcomes for target populations; and
• enhanced consumer satisfaction results indicated by the consumer satisfaction survey.

Goal Area 2: Services to Students and Youth with Disabilities

Priorities

• Expand and improve VR services, including Pre-Employment Transition Services for students with disabilities who are transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and/or employment, and improve coordination with state and local secondary and postsecondary educational entities.
• Provide supported employment services to youth and other individuals with the most significant disabilities who require extended support in order to achieve and maintain an employment outcome.

Strategies

VRD developed a formalized method of reviewing proposed ideas and initiatives for Pre-Employment Transition Services. This method includes the establishment of a core group of staff who reviews proposed ideas for Pre-Employment Transition Services on a weekly basis. Additionally, a Pre-Employment Transition Services mailbox was developed so field staff can ask questions and obtain consistent responses from the state transition program specialists leading up to implementation of Pre-Employment Transition Services. The following strategies will expand and improve VR services for students and youth with disabilities who are transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and/or employment, and improve coordination with state and local secondary and postsecondary educational entities:

• Providing supported employment services for youth with the most significant disabilities, and enhanced coordination to ensure extended supports are in place for customers to achieve and maintain employment outcomes.
• Evaluate, revise, and develop policy, procedures, and staffing strategies to improve consistency and increase effectiveness in the provision of transition services.
• Develop a transition training module, which will provide guidance and best practices pertaining to provision of transition services.
• Expand and increase partnerships with state and local secondary and postsecondary educational institutions and organizations to facilitate the identification of best practices, leveraged resources, and improved coordination.
• Launch the Pathways to Careers Initiative (PCI), an $11.9M multi-strategy initiative to expand Pre-Employment Transition Services to Texas students with disabilities. PCI includes five new strategies: Summer Earn and Learn, Charting the Course: Planning for Life after High School, Career Pathways Academies, Explore STEM!, and Transition Planning for Students in Private and Home Schools. The first PCI strategy to be implemented is the Summer Earn and Learn which is a work-based learning program conducted in partnership with Boards and their employer partners. Summer Earn and Learn is a statewide strategy that includes employability skills training and paid work experience for students with disabilities. It will be offered in each workforce area during the summer months when students are out of school. Boards will be encouraged to develop work experience opportunities with workforce areas employers in high-growth occupations, skilled trades and crafts, and other high-demand occupations. Through the PCI initiative, students with disabilities will be better prepared to achieve competitive integrated employment through participation in employability skills and work readiness training, career exploration activities, work experience, and postsecondary education.

Success will be measured by:

• an increase in successful outcomes for students with disabilities and youth; and
• an increase in consumer satisfaction of students and youth with disabilities as measured by the consumer satisfaction survey.

Goal Area 3: Partnerships

Priorities

Enhance collaboration and coordination with Boards, employers, and other stakeholders to increase competitive integrated employment outcomes and work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or after-school opportunities such as internships, volunteer positions, and summer and year-round work experience programs.

Strategies

VRD will do the following to strengthen partnerships with Boards and enhance strategies to develop and maintain employer relationships that result in competitive integrated employment outcomes and work-based learning experiences:

• Continuing to collaborate on special initiatives and activities for youth, veterans, and other persons with disabilities;
• Developing and implementing summer work experience programs with the Boards;
• Increased participation in Board committees;
• Increased coordination with Board contractor BSUs and with other business intermediaries such as local Chambers of Commerce;
• Providing information to VR partners pertaining to various disabilities, assistive technology, and suggestions for reasonable accommodations;
• Developing and implementing agency-wide business relationships strategies with a regional focus that creates a unified, comprehensive approach to serving businesses;
• Providing Employment Assistance Training to staff, to instruct on how to best contact and meet the needs of our business partners; and
• Aligning counseling critical thinking processes around employment opportunities and data to engage customers in defining their optimal vocational opportunities.

Success will be measured by:

• an increase in sustained business relationships leading to successful outcomes for our consumers;
• an increase in work-based learning experiences; and
• an increase in the number of partnerships for special initiatives and ongoing coordination of services to businesses.