Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Student with a disability definition: includes students in secondary school between the ages of 14 through the school year in which the student becomes 22, who is eligible for, and receiving, special education or related services under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is an individual with a disability for purposes of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or is otherwise a student with a documented disability.  Pre-employment transition services may be provided to students who are applicants of or eligible for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program (participants) and students with disabilities who may be potentially eligible for the VR program.

A student aged 14 to 22 years old in the following categories is considered “potentially eligible” for the provision of VR Services, regardless of whether the student has applied for or has been determined eligible for VR services if the student:

1. Receives special education services pursuant to 511 IAC 7;
2. Receives accommodations pursuant to a Section 504 plan;
3. Is a student who is an individual with a disability, for purposes of Section 504; or
4. Is a student with a documented disability.

Indiana VR and key partners continue to collaborate for the purpose of streamlined transition of students with disabilities from school to the receipt of VR services, including pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS). 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 the best methods for providing successful transition services to students.

Serving transition-aged students continues to be a priority for VR, even more so with the advent of WIOA and Pre-ETS. Through the efforts of VR’s dedicated transition staff, the Director of Youth Services, the Associate Director of Youth Services, and 10 youth counselors located throughout the state, VR has maintained Pre-ETS in all 92 Indiana counties and is active in approximately 400 schools statewide, serving approximately 8,000 students annually. Education to key stakeholders is a major part of maintaining these Pre-ETS programs. This includes VR staff and contractors providing Pre-ETS across the state, as well as outreach and education to students, parents, educators, and others. This training has included face-to-face meetings with Pre-ETS contractors for the purpose of sharing resources, expectations, and accomplishments, including updated referral information which youth counselors trained career coaches on and shared with school staff. Training with Pre-ETS contractors has also included webinars to VR staff, parents, and educators, presentations to local school systems, and providing ongoing updates to the statewide VR Transition Advisory Council. The focus of much of this outreach has been to aid in understanding of the importance of and how to access Pre-ETS for students with disabilities across the state. Outreach has also included training to the Department of Child Services on Pre-ETS, traditional VR services and the process for referrals to both. Updated training on Pre-ETS was conducted for JAG instructors throughout the state at their annual JAG training conference. VR continues to work with DOE on improvements to the updated Indiana Career Explorer (INCE) site which will allow Pre-ETS career coaches and VR Counselors to assist students and VR participants in working on job exploration and goal setting. 

VR’S 10 youth counselors work in their respective regions throughout the state assisting with transition and Pre-ETS activities. They update maintenance and expansion plans on a quarterly basis focusing on VR area offices, school systems and Pre-ETS contractors and have introduced many positive changes. They have helped to strengthen the referral process and communication in general with VR and many school systems, assisted providers in accessing schools where Pre-ETS was not widely available, and provided numerous trainings and technical assistance to Pre-ETS and transition stakeholders. Updating the maintenance and expansion plan allows the youth counselors to keep current on student enrollment, referrals to VR, and strengths and concerns with transition and Pre-ETS processes. They work closely with all stakeholders to address concerns, highlight strengths, and continually improve processes, procedures and outreach to students and youth with disabilities.

VR, in collaboration with DOE, established a Statewide Transition Advisory Council to identify and address the barriers that continue to impact students with disabilities, and develop and implement strategies and services to make the transition successful for students and youth with disabilities. The VR/DOE MOU was revised in March, 2022 and the Transition Advisory Council continues to serve as the VR/DOE MOU Oversight group and provide input and recommendations into the 5 key oversight areas. These 5 areas are:

1. Reviewing, addressing and facilitating resolution of concerns relating to transition and Pre-ETS for students with disabilities.
2. Supporting joint training for Partner Agency staff to promote mutual understanding of each Partner Agency's systems.
3. Providing professional development and technical assistance to LEAs and VR Area Offices that enhance collaboration and involvement with community-based organizations, employers, employer groups, and other agencies.
4. Developing and implementing processes for sharing appropriate individual or aggregate data and information regarding students with disabilities, who are being served or may potentially be served by a Partner Agency.
5. Identifying ways to provide timely information to students with disabilities and their families regarding specific work incentives and the positive impact of work on government benefits.

The Statewide Transition Advisory Council includes representation from a wide range of key partners and stakeholders, including the following: VR, DOE, local educational agencies’ school personnel and administrators,  the Bureau of Disabilities Services (BDS), the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Department of Corrections, Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Education (CDHHE), Community Mental Health Centers, Indiana Association of People Supporting Employment First (INAPSE), Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (INARF), Indiana Institute of Disability and Community – Center on Community Living and Careers (IIDC - CCLC), parent representation, the Arc of Indiana, INSOURCE, and other family advocacy groups. BRS has requested appointments from the Governor’s office for 2 student representatives on the VR Council.

IIDC-CCLC, along with partners from the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and Office of Career and Technical Education, DOE, and IN*Source created the Career and Technical Education (CTE) workgroup with the goal of increasing enrollment of and positive outcomes for students with disabilities in CTE. The workgroup completed interviews with school counselors at select CTE sites to determine their protocol for student selection, resources for assisting students with disabilities, and overall success rate. This information has been used to identify pilot sites throughout the state with the goal of providing training, technical assistance and other support to increase the number of students with disabilities enrolled and successfully completing CTE courses. The CTE workgroup has updated their plan and is working on developing modified pathways that students can pursue that will allow them to attain micro-credentials in areas of employer demand.

VR has counselors assigned to each school for outreach and education to teachers, students, and parents. These VR counselors collaborate with school staff to enable a seamless transition to life after high school. The goal for each student is for a VR application to be completed, and, for eligible participants who are being served, to have an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) in place, before exiting high school. While this process works well in many cases, as mentioned above, VR Youth Counselors continue to identify any areas of need in order to increase communication, improve the referral process and ensure students with disabilities are identified and connected to VR, as appropriate, in a timely manner.

Identified best practices include: youth counselors identifying Pre-ETS students close to graduation and assisting with their VR referrals as appropriate, LEA’s and VR conferring at least one time per year to identify other students who may require VR services, those requiring a VR counselor to attend their case conference, providing “VR 101” refreshers to school personnel, and a follow-up process for VR referrals.

Training for VR staff is planned for the coming year on improvements to the referral process from Pre-ETS to VR, and transition and Pre-ETS basics to new counselors. VR counselors and/or area supervisors are also involved in local transition councils if they exist in the community. Councils are made up of local stakeholders who are involved in the transition from school to work and adult life. Councils could include, but are not limited to, students/family, school personnel, and service providers. VR has contracted with PCG on the development of training and technical assistance for pre-ETS providers and VR staff. This will include modules and other training on pre-ETS curricula, including working with high support needs students, Level Up Your Leadership training, and foundational training for pre-ETS career coaches, among many other initiatives. Additionally, DOE provided training to the Transition Advisory Council on the new alternate diploma for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as well as the use of supported decision making as an alternative to guardianship.