Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
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:
The BSBP Pre-ETS unit is composed of a Statewide Transition Services Manager, a Statewide Transition Consultant, and a Departmental Analyst that supports the provision of Pre-ETS and Transition Services to students who are Potentially Eligible (PE) and those who are VR customers. BSBP has two Regional Transition Consultants that support major metropolitan areas in the West and East Regions.
- BSBP has comprehensive policies and procedures that detail coordination responsibilities and strategies to coordinate services between the Designated State Unit and educational representatives.
- BSBP has developed specific transition guides and toolkits to support the work of BSBP rehabilitation professionals and collaborative partners.
- BSBP has a representative on MITT designed to foster collaboration across State agencies. MITT has developed tools and resources to enhance collaboration.
- BSBP works with the MDE – Low Incidence Outreach (LIO), MDE Transition Coordinators, and statewide transition teams.
- BSBP’s Pre-ETS unit provides training and technical assistance to regional BSBP, MDE staff, families, and service providers.
- BSBP’s rehabilitation professionals are assigned geographically to the 57 Intermediate School Districts and LEAs.
BSBP partners with MRS and Project SEARCH (PS) – Michigan has approximately 20 PS sites. This one-year employment preparation program takes place entirely at the workplace and provides a combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. The goal of the program is to provide individualized job development and Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) for BSBP customers.
Summer College Preparation Program for students who are blind – In partnership with Western Michigan University, this program is designed as an introduction to postsecondary education. Program components include on campus course and living experience. This program is the oldest transition program in the state of MI and is designed to provide students who are blind the opportunity to become familiar with being a student on a college campus before they begin a full program of study.
- BSBP will provide Pre-ETS to SWDs who have applied for VR services, and to potentially eligible students with visual impairments. If a student needs a service that goes beyond the scope of Pre-ETS, and the service is listed on the student’s approved IPE, BSBP will provide for those costs with non-reserved VR funds. The student or the student's responsible party must apply for a VR case and be determined eligible by the counselor within 60 days of the VR application. The VR Counselor will work with the student and parents or legal guardians to develop an IPE, outlining the VR services necessary to assist the student in obtaining CIE. The eligibility criteria for services must be met before plan development. The Individual Employment Plan, along with the IPE, are instruments that identify education, transition, and employment goals and objectives.
- MDE-LIO provides technical assistance and resources to enable local school districts to serve and improve the quality of education for students with visual impairments. BSBP has contributed to MDE-LIO’s quarterly newsletter providing valuable information on BSBP’s transition activities and resources. BSBP partners with MDE-LIO, and local districts, to facilitate the coordination of the provision of Pre-ETS services and the coordination of academic, vocational, independent, and community-based curricula. BSBP also provides technical assistance for the establishment of local partnerships designed to aid, and empower, students who are blind, deafblind, and visually impaired.