Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

For the past four years, DVR has been a regular participant in the monthly DOE Cadre Meetings in which a majority of school districts and charter schools send teams ranging from Administrators, Special Education and Transition Coordinators, and middle and high school teachers from within their districts/charters. Since May 2015, DOE and DVR have held monthly cadres meeting with the districts and charter schools throughout the state with the purpose of establishing regular opportunities for planning and professional learning. At a minimum, the DVR Transition Coordinator attends each meeting to provide schools with information and support related to DVR services for students with disabilities. It is an opportunity for all DVR Transition staff to receive training and technical assistance provided by DOE and for Counselors to work with teams from their assigned schools to develop goals for collaboration, allowing VR to be further integrated in the school processes, procedures and resources and enhancing transition services for students with disabilities at the state and local level. Throughout the school year, DVR works closely with the local schools to develop and participate in student and parent information sessions, career and college fairs and general transition fairs. These events serve to inform current consumers of DVR and transition services as well as to provide outreach to younger students and families who may not know about or be receiving VR services yet. There is continued collaboration between DVR and Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) in the initiative to provide intensive educational supports for graduating transition students enrolled in remedial programs at DTCC. The supported education project provides workshops in Math, English and Reading to transition youth, along with some additional specialized study skills training. Over the years, the initiative has grown from one campus to all of the four DTCC campuses statewide. DVR started a pilot program in New Castle County by providing a VR Counselor to work primarily on the Wilmington and Stanton DTCC campuses. This initiative began in August 2015 in order to provide additional VR supports to college students and allow the high school transition counselors to begin working with transition students prior to their Senior year. This initiative has been beneficial for students to receive more adequate supports while in college, but also to establish a stronger relationship with DVR and the community college. This in no longer considered a pilot as it has expanded to all 3 counties.