Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Indiana VR and key partners are working to build an infrastructure for purposeful collaboration for the purposes of transition of students with disabilities from school to the receipt of VR services, including pre–employment transition services. Ongoing Indiana initiatives and WIOA requirements are aligned for VR to coordinate with Education officials and other key partners (e.g., Department of Workforce Development) to identify best practices for providing successful transition services to students.

In addition, VR values the need of designating staff to this effort and has designated a full time Statewide Youth Director and Statewide Transition Coordinator to provide leadership in the plans, policies, and procedures for developing and implementing best practices and facilitating the transition of students with disabilities to appropriate VR services. The designated staff will provide outreach and education to constituents, technical assistance to VR staff, research and implement pre–employment transition services and other transition services, and promote purposeful collaboration with schools and stakeholders.

VR in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Education (DOE) established a Statewide Transition Alliance to identify and address the barriers that continue to impact students, and develop and implement strategies and services to make the transition successful for students and youth with disabilities. The Transition Alliance will establish a work plan with the basis of the work plan created using the Transition to Careers Subcommittee Chapter recommendations (one of the four created by the full Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID)). The Statewide Transition Alliance includes representation from a wide range of key partners and stakeholders, including the following: VR, DOE, local educational agencies’ school personnel and administrators, Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Bureau of Developmental Disability Services (BDDS), the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Department of Corrections, Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Education, Center for Education & Career Innovation, Community Mental Health Centers, First Steps, Indiana Association of People Supporting Employment First (INAPSE), Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (INARF), Indiana Institute of Disability and Community (IIDC), parent representation, the Arc of Indiana, INSOURCE, and other family advocacy groups.

VR works closely with the Indiana Institute of Disability and Community (IIDC) and Indiana University on several transition–related priorities. IIDC promotes partnerships between Indiana schools and various state agencies and other support organizations. IIDC’s focus is on career development, secondary education, and transition to adult life. As part of the need to establish an infrastructure and ensure sustainability of transition services, including pre–employment transition services, VR works with the existing Transition Cadres in Indiana. Established in 2011 and dedicated to improving secondary transition outcomes for students, a network of Transition Cadres throughout Indiana (funded by the Department of Education) is working collaborative, both regionally and statewide. The efforts are focused on implementing promising practices and creating innovative strategies, tools, and resources for teachers and other transition professionals. VR has provided training on VR and its services to the Cadres and is attending the regularly scheduled cadre meetings to continue the joint collaboration. For more information please see: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/cadre–leaders. Through IIDC and a study entitled Effects of Embedded Employment Resources on the Employment Outcomes of Transition–age Youth, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, (Grant H133A130028), VR is working with IIDC through the five–year research project examining the effectiveness of a team approach to providing students with disabilities (those who have an IEP) with employment coaching and resources prior to leaving high school. These sites are referred to as the “Indiana School–to–Work Collaborative.” At the five designated sites across the state, career coaches are working with students and families, their Transition IEP teams, and a VR Counselor to ensure students have internship opportunities before they leave school. The collaborative site features the following benefits for participating students: collaboration of schools, VR, and community rehabilitation providers; single point of contact to be a liaison between VR and school personnel; personal student profile; immersed internship; student empowerment training; benefits planning; and family training. The outcomes of this research will provide data, information, and best practices that will continue to shape transition services, including pre–employment transition services for Indiana. For more information, please see: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/indiana–school–to–work–collaborative.

VR is currently assigning a VR Counselor to each school to increase outreach and education with parents and teachers about VR services. The assigned VR counselor will facilitate the timely referral of students that could benefit from VR services. The goal for each student is for a VR application to be completed, and, for eligible consumers, to have an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) in place, before exiting high school. The IPE will include pre–employment transition services when appropriate for transition students. The VR counselor will collaborate with the school staff to enable for a seamless transition to life after high school. Additionally VR is piloting having 3 dedicated VR Counselors for several Marion Co high schools to focus strictly on transition students having a caseload that is 100% transition. After evaluating the effectiveness of this pilot VR will consider expansion into other area offices.