Narrative: j. 1. E.

The service needs among students with disabilities was analyzed by four (4) groups or professional categories, be it: Transition Analyst (TA), Assessment and Adjustment Centers staff (CAA) General (GEN (VR Counselors)) and Department of Education staff (DE). The more important results of such analysis are as follows:

1. Comparative analysis by Professional Group of the needs of students with disabilities receiving special education services - The service identified as the major need by these professional groups was Career Exploration Counseling. It stands out from services that include practical experience for students (be it work-based learning experiences with on-site visits or job shadowing, or direct job experience - trial work experiences) constituted their top priority need. This fact becomes more important when observing that according to the opinion of all the professional groups, the identified services are either not offered or offered in limited occasions. Of the four (4) compared groups (TA, CAA, GEN and DE), three (3) presented a trend, moderate coincidence, or strong opinions when aligning their priorities or pre-employment transition services needs for students with disabilities receiving special education from the DE. The groups that significantly correlated between themselves are CAA, GEN and DE, correlating between moderate-high and high. The TA group presented low and non-significant correlation indexes when compared to the other three groups, a finding that could be expected when considering that the roles of this professional allow a very particular understanding and identification of needs.
2. Comparative analysis by Professional Group, of pre-employment transition service needs for youth ages between 14 to 21, that could be receiving special education services or under Section 504 (ADA) - Analyzing the opinion of these professionals, when it comes to the needs of pre-employment transition services for these students, one may conclude that every professional group coincided by stating that their principal needs lie in the evaluation of assistive technology services, therapeutic services evaluation, occupational exploration, the timeliness of the service, and the vocational evaluation. These results increase in importance when you observe that according to the opinion of the professional groups, the identified services are not offered or offered in limited occasions. Exception to this is that the DE staff understands that the assistive technology services evaluation and the therapeutic services are being offered regularly at the DE. When comparing groups, one may observe correlating indexes between moderate highs and moderate lows not statistically significant for 5 of the 6 comparisons made. This data suggests that, even though the professionals in the groups coincided in identifying major service needs, they did not show high congruency when priorities were placed in order of need with regard to the previously identified transition services.

The service needs were also analyzed according to the Region of the ARV in which the professional works. In this analysis, DE professionals were not included. The main results were as follows:

1. Comparative analysis, per VRA Region, of the needs of students with disabilities receiving special education services - One observes that services 1, 4, 7, 8, 10 and 17 have the highest average, and were selected by the majority of the groups, or by the majority of the professionals regarding them as the services mostly in need. Among these are 1(78%), 7 (65%), and 10 (67%) as the highest numbers, suggesting that the professional groups stated that these were the services mostly needed: 1-Career Exploration Counseling in schools including information about on demand careers and industry sectors; 7 - Work-based learning experiences with on-site visits to the job-place in order to find out the required skills per occupation; and 10-Job experiences to explore student-interest areas that will include occupational practice and short-term employment (seasonal, summer).The same as in analysis by professional groups’, the comparison by region allows us to identify that Career Exploration Counseling was identified as of the most need by all participating professionals in every regions. Services that include practical experience for students (be it work-based learning experiences with on-site visits or job shadowing, or direct job experience for interest exploration - trial work experiences) constitute the highest needs. These results must be analyzed taking into consideration that according to the opinion of the professional groups of all regions, the identified services are not offered or offered in limited occasions. It is observed from the correlational analysis that there was a high congruence and consistency among the professionals of the regions when assign priority or hierarchy to the previously identified needs as more pressing.
2. Comparative analysis per VRA region, of pre-employment transition-service needs for youth between the ages of 14 to 21, that could be receiving special education services or under Section 504 - Results observed were that services number 1(80%) , 2 (72%), 11 (75%), and 12 (68%) has the high average percentiles selected by all or the majority of professional groups and labeled as the needed services. The aforesaid suggests that the majority of the professional groups surveyed, per VRA region, selected the following needs as those mostly in need: 1-Assistive Technology Needs Evaluation (AT); 2-Therapeutic Service Needs Evaluation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological therapy), 11-Receive timely therapeutic services, and 12-Vocational Evaluation. The evaluation to determine Assistive Technology needs received firm endorsement from all regions, suggesting that the service is needed in all of Puerto Rico. Similarly, the previously-mentioned services were recognized as of high need for evaluation, and on time delivery of therapeutic services and vocational evaluations. The same as in previous analysis, major needs are not offered or offered in limited occasions. In synthesis, there was congruency in identifying which were the priority needs, but not in a relative order of adjudication in the majority of regions.
3. Comparative analysis per VRA region, of pre-employment transition services needs that could be observed among students with disabilities receiving services from accredited post-secondary programs (private schools, technological institutes, universities, among others): The professionals in the 6 regions coincided in identifying services 5 (64%), 10 (67%), 12 (56%), and 16 (63%) as those with the highest percentiles, suggesting that in their opinion these are the services most in need. The services are: 1- Academic tutoring; 5-Classroom accommodations or modifications; 10- Student career exploration for those with very low academic achievement; 12- Affective counseling for transition and adjustment process (self advocacy skills, empowerment); and 16-Academic counseling (studying techniques, academic planning). Counseling in career-exploration services for students with low academic achievement, accommodations or modification in the classroom and academic counseling, received the highest average percentiles. Participant opinions regarding frequency of availability varies according to the service. For example, participants reported academic tutoring as regularly available; but career-exploration counseling and affective counseling were not offered or offered in limited occasions.
4. VRA’s comparative analysis, per VRA region, regarding other vocational rehabilitation services for students and youth up to 24 years of age, and current VRA consumers - The professionals in the six (6) regions coincided in identifying services 2(69%), 4(79%), and 5(74%) as the mostly needed. These services show the highest average results, and were selected by all or by the majority of the professionals in the region. The services were: 2- Supported Employment; 4- Job-searching Assistance; and 5- Job-placement Assistance. All three (3) services are employment focused; search, placement and supported employment mode. The professionals in all regions also coincided in pointing out that these are regularly offered services. The correlated analysis performed lets you identify the responsive trends among regions, the more frequently endorsed activities from participating professionals. One sees that of the 15 correlations performed, 6 had significant correlated significance: San Juan-Ponce (r = .899; p < .05); Bayamón-Mayaguez (r = .899; p>< .05); Bayamón-Ponce (r = .899; p <.05); Caguas-Ponce (r = .886; p >< .05); Caguas-Arecibo (r = .943; p ><.05); y Mayagüez-Ponce (r = .886; p ><.05). The previous correlation indexes are described highs, suggesting that the professionals in these regions were consistent in assigning a relative priority or hierarchy to the identified needs. The remaining correlations were not significant, fluctuating between moderate low and moderately- high, which lets us to conclude that in the rest of the comparisons made between regions, there were no high correlations when assigning priorities.>

The needs of particular groups of youth with disabilities, DE staff identified the following: 

1. About the transition needs of youth with disabilities under the custody of the Juvenile Institutions Administration [Administración de Instituciones Juveniles], they emphasized on the importance of promoting communication skills, or learning about money management, of showing appropriate conduct, and understanding interpersonal relationships. They pointed out the need to provide them with real job experiences through orientations regarding the world of employment, and to follow-up on their therapies and the evaluations that by law, this group of youths should be receiving.
2. Regarding Home Schooling and their relationship with transition services, DE participants identified the needs: to provide social interaction and interpersonal communication skills; to work in groups; and to learn about their function in society, in their community coexisting with other youth. They indicated that their parents or their families are usually not aware of what Transition is, the services that are being offered by the VRA, the eligibility criteria, and the individuals’ rights. They therefore recommend developing orientation and training strategies for parents. The staff also identified as a limitation the lack of formal diagnoses and the limited therapeutic services for these young people.

This professional staff of the DE understands that private or public school youth are being shoved between the importance and the guarantee of the services these students with disabilities are entitled to, are offered, and could be available. In a very particular way, they pointed out that reasonable accommodations as a service are not equally provided as per student needs and rights. They pointed out that schools are currently having a lack of specialized staff with sufficient knowledge about vocational evaluations and related matters. To that effect, they recommend the VRA staff to play a more active role by visiting schools, with the main objective of giving orientation and disseminating information regarding the VRA services offer