Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan* must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA:
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* Sec. 102(b)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- d. Coordination with Education Officials
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- O. State's StrategiesDescribe the required strategies and how the agency will use these strategies to achieve its goals and priorities, support innovation and expansion activities, and overcome any barriers to accessing the VR and the Supported Employment programs (See sections 101(a)(15)(D) and (18)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act and section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)):
- O. State's Strategies
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- d. Coordination with Education Officials
d. 2. O. iv. The Methods to Be Used to Improve and Expand Vr Services for Students with Disabilities, Including the Coordination of Services Designed to Facilitate the Transition of Such Students from School to Postsecondary Life (including the Receipt of Vr Services, Postsecondary Education, Employment, and Pre- Employment Transition Services).
Current Narrative:
One of the key VR employment service revisions is the increase of VR-funded Discovery activities. These activities were developed in large part with transition students in mind as many of the activities are pre-employment transition services, such as work experience, situational assessments, job shadows, informational interviews, and others. Prior to these revisions, VR Counselors often struggled to identify VR services that could be provided to transition aged youth who were not quite ready to exit and enter the workforce or continue into post-secondary training. Many of those students require pre-employment transition services to identify and prepare for careers. These youth will have much better access to Discovery activities in the new VR employment service model.
VR has also increased outreach and education to transition aged youth, including development of a brief video that has been widely disbursed including posted through social media. VR is also partnering with INSource, an organization for parents of students with disabilities, to increase awareness and education about VR services at the local level.