Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by sections 101(a) and 606 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA.
- j. Coordination with Education Officials.
In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(11)(D) of the Rehabilitation Act—
- j. Coordination with Education Officials.
j. 1. Describe plans, policies, and procedures for coordination between the designated State agency and education officials responsible for the public education of students with disabilities, that are designed to facilitate the transition of the students with disabilities from the receipt of educational services in school to the receipt of vocational rehabilitation services, including pre-employment transition services.
Current Narrative:
There is a Transition Program Manager in HireAbility’s central office, who supports all transition activities statewide. The Transition Program Manager and HireAbility Director routinely meet with Vermont Agency of Education staff to coordinate services, and include Department of Labor, Developmental Disabilities Services Division, Department of Health, VT Assistive Technology Program, and Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired staff in these meetings.
HireAbility has a long-standing commitment of serving students in transition. With the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in July 2014, HireAbility built an infrastructure for transition aged youth, to implement Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). In 2020 HireAbility expanded services provided by Transition Counselors to include serving youth aged 14 to 25. HireAbility currently has 25 Transition Counselors (24 FTE) that serve youth aged 14 to 25, including all in-school students, and provide Pre-Employment Transition Services activities as required in WIOA.
HireAbility Transition Counselors recruit students age14 to 22 who are eligible for Pre-ETS services, from local school districts and other independent or private secondary educational programs. The Transition Counselors operate out of all twelve HireAbility district offices and cover all Vermont high school districts. Counselors serve as a community resource to the schools, facilitating inter-agency partnerships through routine Core Transition Team meetings in each of the twelve HireAbility districts. The goal of these teams is to share resources, partner to support youth, and act as catalysts for change to improve the transition process for youth with disabilities. The Transition Counselor is required to develop an IPE (Individualized Plan for Employment) for students found eligible for HireAbility services, prior to exit from high school. HireAbility tracks this metric as part of our quality assurance dashboard. The Transition Counselors continue to work with youth after high school exit as they have since 2020, to ensure that students graduating and moving on to either post-secondary education or careers have consistent, seamless support during this important transition.
In the summer of 2021, HireAbility launched the Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP) that provided paid work experiences for students with disabilities. About 150 students participated in 2021 and the program was run again in 2022 and 2023. Over 350 students have participated in the SCEP program to date and over 100 have gained competitive jobs as a direct result. Also, we have determined that students who participate in the SCEP program are far more likely to continue to engage with HireAbility after they exit high school.
To provide Pre-ETS, HireAbility created the Youth Employment Specialist model, and contracted with the Vermont Association of Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation (VABIR). VABIR provides Youth Employment Specialists (YES) to work one on one with Transition Counselors to support Pre-ETS in all areas of the state. The YES and the Transition Counselor work as a team with each high school, and these teams meet regularly with the Transition Program Director for training and to share best practices.
The Jump on Board for Success (JOBS) program provides supported employment services for out of school youth aged 16-25 with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities. Two designated HireAbility counselors support Transition Counselors and JOBS staff around the state to collaborate and identify youth who are at risk of dropping out of school or are within six months of graduation and may be eligible for JOBS services. The designated JOBS counselors and JOBS staff coordinate with local high schools for services to help youth successfully transition from high school. There are ten JOBS programs around the state and a total of 13 JOBS sites operated by the Designated Agencies.
The Developmental Services (DS) program also works collaboratively with the Transition Counselors to ensure that students who may be both eligible and meet funding priorities for developmental services are referred through the schools to the local Designated Agencies. The Transition Counselors and DS staff coordinate with the local high schools for services to youth exiting high school. There are fifteen DS programs around the state run by Designated Agencies or Specialized Service Agencies.
The Transition Counselors collaborate with the Certified Work Incentive Counselors (CWIC) to provide services to youth and their families in high schools. The VR Benefits CWIC program provides information and resources about state and federal benefits as well as information on Social Security work incentives. It is crucial that students and their families have access to accurate and appropriate information when making informed decisions around employment and education choices.