Narrative: b. 1. D.

SPPE staff members in 2023 conducted a qualitative analysis of the reported service needs of 1,209 persons with significant disabilities of various age and disability groups statewide. These individuals represent a good sample of consumers with significant disabilities that will continue to seek assistance from agencies in coming years, ceteris paribus. All 55 counties in West Virginia were represented in the sample and the sample resembles population proportions by county. SPPE staff members separately analyzed the needs comments of the 757 transitioning youth with disabilities included in the sample.

Of the statewide total of 1,209 persons with significant disabilities at the time of their WVDRS application, 757 persons (62.6%) were determined to be of transition status (age 24 and under). The demographic profile of this subset of transition status individuals with significant disabilities consists of the following characteristics:

- Gender: 50.3% male, 49.3% female, 0.4% did not specify;

- Race: 88.6% White, 11.1% Other (African American/Hispanic Latino/American Indian or Alaska Native/Asian/Pacific Islander), 0.3% Unspecified;

- Age: 79.4% under 20 years old, 20.6% 20-34 years;

- Primary Impairment: 4.1% Sensory/Communicative Impairments (including blindness, other visual impairments, deafness – primary communication visual, deafness – primary communication auditory, hearing loss – primary communication visual, hearing loss – primary communication auditory, other hearing impairments, deaf-blindness, and communicative impairments), 10.2% Physical Impairments (including mobility orthopedic/neurological impairments, manipulation/dexterity orthopedic/neurological impairments, both mobility and manipulation/dexterity orthopedic/neurological impairments, other orthopedic impairments, respiratory impairments, general physical debilitation, and other physical impairments), 85.5% Mental Impairments (including cognitive impairments, psychosocial impairments, and other mental impairments);

- Referral Source: 0.9% Adult Education and Literacy Programs, 0.3% Child Protective Services, 1.2% Community Rehabilitation Programs, 0.8% Consumer Organizations or Advocacy Groups, 48.9% Educational Institutions (elementary/secondary), 7.4% Educational Institutions (postsecondary), 0.1% Faith-Based Organizations, 18.9% Family/Friends, 0.4% Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Providers, 1.3% Medical Health Provider (Public or Private), 2.0% Mental Health Provider (Public or Private), 0.4% One-stop Employment/Training Centers, 1.8% Other Sources, 0.3% Other State Agencies, 0.1% Other VR State Agencies, 0.1% Other WIOA-funded Programs, 0.1% Public Housing Authority, 14.4% Self-referral, 0.4% Welfare Agency (State or local government);

- Employment Status at Application: 4.7% Employed, 95.3% Employment not reported;

- Primary Source of Support: 5.8% Personal Income, 86.8% Family and Friends, 5.9% Public Support (SSI, SSDI, TANF, etc.), 1.3% Other (Private disability insurance, Private charities).

Service Needs Reported by Transitioning Youth with Significant Disabilities

Education

Education needs were identified in 34.7% of the needs comments of transitioning youth with significant disabilities. Of these, education needs identified were categorized as transition (54.8%), 2-year or 4-year college (37.6%), other (8.0%), accommodations (2.7%), vocational education (2.3%), tutoring (2.3%), high school education (1.5%), assessments (1.1%), graduate education (0.8%), and adult basic education (0.4%).

Most Frequently Reported Education Needs

Transition (54.8%)

Most responses by transitioning youth with significant disabilities indicated a need for transition from school to work. These comments included phrases such as “help with transitioning after high school” or “assistance with transition services.”

2-year or 4-year College (37.6%)

Several of the transitioning youth with significant disabilities who expressed needs regarding education were interested in attending and completing college. Many of these needs comments were general (e.g., “help going to college”), but some others were specific, indicating a particular school of interest or a particular major.

Other (8.0%)

Some responses by transitioning youth with significant disabilities indicated a need for education, or assistance with education, but were not much more specific than that. A typical response in this manner may have included phrases such as “help with school” or “educational services.”

Training

Among transitioning youth with significant disabilities, 42.8% of 757 needs comments involved training. Of these, training needs identified were categorized as business/vocational training (86.7%), drive training/licensing (11.7%), job search training/assistance (4.6%), other (2.1%), and independent living skills (1, 0.3%).

Most Frequently Reported Training Needs

Business/Vocational Training (86.7%)

The most identified training need by transitioning youth with significant disabilities, by a substantial margin, was training for employment. Within this category, responses varied from the general (e.g., “training services”) to the specific (e.g., “phlebotomy program at Med Care”).

Driver Training/Licensing (11.7%)

Some transitioning youth with significant disabilities identified the need for driving skills or legal driving capability. This was referred to in a number of ways, including “driver’s license,” “driver’s training,” or “learner’s permit.” CDL training was also included in this category.

Health

Among transitioning youth with significant disabilities, 5.9% of 757 needs comments involved health. Of these, health needs identified were categorized as psychological/psychiatric (68.9%), hearing/audiological services (20.0%), eye care (4.4%), physician’s services (2.2%), hospital services (2.2%), and other (2.2%).

Most Frequently Reported Health Needs

Psychological/Psychiatric (68.9%)

Needs comments in this category indicated the need for mental health services of some type. However, the specific needs varied. Some transitioning youth with significant disabilities expressed the need for “therapy,” “counseling,” or “mental restoration,” while others were interested in psychological evaluations.

Hearing/Audiological Services (20.0%)

Some of the health needs comments by transitioning youth with significant disabilities were related to hearing. Most of these needs comments specifically stated the need for hearing aids.

Employment/CRP

Among transitioning youth with significant disabilities, 59.2% of 757 needs comments involved employment/CRP services. Of these, employment/CRP service needs identified were categorized as job placement (75.0%), vocational counseling and guidance (27.9%), other (5.1%), life skills training (1.6%), work-related tools or equipment (1.6%), supported employment (SE) (0.7%), job retention (0.4%), vocational evaluation (0.2%), psychological evaluation (0.2%), community-based assessment (0.2%), work skills assessment (0.2%), and job coaching other than SE (0.2%).

Most Frequently Reported Employment/CRP Needs

Job Placement (75.0%)

A large percentage of transitioning youth with significant disabilities were primarily interested in placement in a job. Needs comments that specifically included the word “placement” fit into this category. However, many stated the need for “work” or “employment.”

Vocational Counseling and Guidance (27.9%)

Some transitioning youth with significant disabilities indicated a need for vocational counseling and guidance. Key phrases in this category include “vocational counseling and guidance,” “career exploration,” and “planning a vocational goal.”

Other (5.1%)

Some transitioning youth with significant disabilities indicated a need for services related to employment, but the need indicated was either too general to be classified (e.g., “vocational services”) or otherwise didn’t fit in one of the sub-categories (e.g., “interview skills”).

Support

Among transitioning youth with significant disabilities, 11.4% of 757 needs comments involved support. Of these, support needs identified were categorized as financial assistance (88.4%), assistive technology services (5.8%), other (3.5%), housing assistance (1.2%), and orientation/mobility services (1.2%).

Most Frequently Reported Support Needs

Financial Assistance (88.4%)

Many transitioning youths with significant disabilities identified the need for financial assistance, usually for education or other training. Key words and phrases for this category include “assistance with educational expenses,” “sponsorship,” and “tuition assistance,” among others.

Assistive Technology Services (5.8%)

Some transitioning youth with significant disabilities identified the need for assistive technology. These needs comments specifically indicated “assistive technology” or “AT.”

IDENTIFYING STUDENT NEEDS AS REPORTED BY WVDRS FIELD STAFF

WIOA requires that the comprehensive statewide needs assessment include an assessment of the vocational rehabilitation service needs of “youth with disabilities and students with disabilities, including their need for pre-employment transition services.” WVDRS field staff that serve transitioning youth are one key resource in identifying the service needs of youth with disabilities in West Virginia. Therefore, needs assessment surveys completed by 186 WVDRS field staff were analyzed in order to identify students’ needs for Pre-ETS.

Overall Service Needs for Transitioning Youth (ages 14-24)

The survey asked, “Select the top five most needed services by your consumers with significant disabilities in transition/school territories that you work with.”  There were 115 respondents to this question. The most reported service needs were:

• Driver Education, Tutoring and Licensing (42.6%)
• Transportation (36.5%)
• 2-year to 4-year college (36.7%)
• CRP Services (35.7%)
• Vocational Counseling and Guidance (32.2%)

Pre-ETS Service Needs for Students with Disabilities (ages 14-21)

Services that were identified as needed by 50% or more of the total respondents are listed for each service category below with the percentage of respondents in parentheses:

• Job Exploration Counseling (73%)
• Work-Based Learning Experiences (70%)
• Self-Advocacy Training (67%)
• Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities (72%)
• Workplace Readiness Training (71%)

Pre-ETS Service Gaps

Respondents that indicated a perceived service gap were totaled for each service.  The top five service gaps are listed for each service category below with percentage of respondents in parentheses:

• Work-based Learning Experience (10.8%)
• Workplace Readiness Training (10.2%)
• Self-Advocacy Training (7.8%)
• Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities (6%)
• Job Exploration Counseling (6%)

RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS OF THE REPORTED PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRANSITION SERVICES PROVISION BY WEST VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOLS TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

In October 2023, as part of the Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment, WVDRS conducted an assessment of the need and availability of Pre-ETS for students with disabilities at high schools across the state. The five required Pre-ETS activities (as mandated by WIOA) for students with disabilities are:

1. Job exploration counseling
2. Work-based learning experiences
3. Counseling on opportunities for transitioning from school to work or into postsecondary training or education programs, including college, university (Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities)
4. Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living skills
5. Instruction in self-advocacy

To assess the availability of Pre-ETS for students with disabilities at high schools, WVDRS counselors held formal meetings with school principals, vice principals, counselors, special education teachers, and other related staff. During these meetings, WVDRS counselors asked school staff, for each of the five required Pre-ETS activities, whether the service was currently available to the school’s students with disabilities, and if so, how the service was provided.

The SPPE Unit rated each of the responses to the five Pre-ETS questions using a 1-3 Likert scale.

A rating of 1 indicated that the school does not provide the service (or has a very limited capacity) to its students with disabilities. A rating of 2 indicated that the school was providing services to some students with disabilities but not all, or by providing a minimal level of service to all students with disabilities, suggesting remaining unmet need/demand. Finally, a rating of 3 indicates that the school was sufficiently providing the service to its students with disabilities.

Results

A total of 94 surveys were collected. However, three surveys were eliminated from analysis due to a lack of school identification and meaningful data. The final sample consisted of 91 surveys, collected from 64 high schools from 29 of the state’s 55 counties. All six WVDRS districts were represented.

Total scores for each survey were calculated by adding the scores for each required Pre-ETS activity. A total score of 5 would indicate that none of the services were being provided by the school, while a total score of 15 would indicate that all five required activities of Pre-ETS were provided sufficiently by the school. Schools responding to the survey multiple times had their scores averaged. Twelve schools had a total score of 5 and no school had a total score of 15. Total scores ranged from 5 to 14, with a mean of 7.7 and a mode of 5.

For each service, statewide average scores were calculated, ranging from 1 (indicating no provision of service in high schools across the state) to 3 (indicating sufficient service provision by all high schools in the state). The most sufficiently provided Pre-ETS statewide was Job Exploration Counseling (1.55) and Workplace Readiness Training (1.55), followed by Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities (1.41), Work-Based Learning Experiences (1.40), and Instruction in Self-Advocacy (1.40). Across all five Pre-ETS categories, the statewide average score was 1.48.

Across all five required Pre-ETS activities statewide, a rating of 1 was scored for a total of 275 responses (Job Exploration Counseling – 51; Work-Based Learning Experiences – 57; Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities – 61; Workplace Readiness Training – 48; and Instruction in Self-advocacy – 58), a rating of 2 was scored for a total of 141 responses (Job Exploration Counseling – 28; Work-Based Learning Experiences – 30; Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities – 21; Workplace Readiness Training – 34; and Instruction in Self-advocacy – 28), and a rating of 3 was scored for a total of 39 responses (Job Exploration Counseling – 12; Work-Based Learning Experiences – 4; Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities – 9; Workplace Readiness Training – 9; and Instruction in Self-advocacy – 5).

Applied thematic analysis was used to determine themes in the recorded service gaps that were identified by respondents. For Job Exploration Counseling, respondents identified gaps related to the accessibility and availability of resources, including transportation, job opportunities, and staffing; information and awareness regarding services and options; and difficulties in working with parents. For Work-Based Learning Experiences, identified gaps were related to transportation and the availability of opportunities for experiences. For Counseling on Postsecondary Opportunities, identified gaps were related to support and involvement from parents, as well as assistance with completing college applications. For Workplace Readiness Training, identified gaps were related to transportation and a lack of training opportunities. For Instruction in Self-advocacy, identified gaps were related to a lack of resources and training opportunities.

The results of the survey indicate that many high schools in West Virginia are providing some level of required Pre-ETS activity. However, there are many locations within the state in which Pre-ETS are not provided or are provided minimally by the school. Several schools indicated that the required Pre-ETS activities are being provided by WVDRS or by a Community Rehabilitation Program. Additionally, respondents identified a number of gaps in service provision. Many of these gaps centered on a need for transportation, training opportunities, and human resources. To ensure that Pre-ETS are available to students with disabilities in high schools statewide, as well as eliminate duplication of services, WVDRS will prioritize and emphasize Pre-ETS provision in categories and high schools which were rated as 1, with secondary priority to those high schools and Pre-ETS categories which were rated as 2. Additionally, WVDRS will continue to explore and expand options for Pre-ETS provision and best practices statewide.