Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
j. 1. E. Who are youth with disabilities and students with disabilities, including, as appropriate, their need for pre-employment transition services or other transition services.
Current Narrative:
In 2017 DVR conducted a Comprehensive Needs Assessment including an assessment of the needs of youth and students with disabilities. The primary findings were as follows:
Strengths of the Vermont System
In the school year 2016-17, approximately 1 in 5 (18.5%) eligible students received Pre-ETS services statewide. This suggests DVR has been successful in making Pre-ETS services accessible to eligible students.
Overall, youth with disabilities appear to be accessing DVR services at a high rate (up to 35% of the eligible population). This data suggests DVR has been successful in making services accessible to youth.
DVR has a strong collaborative partnership with AOE at the state level. At the local level, almost all Vermont high schools are working in partnership with DVR to facilitate the provision of and access to Pre-ETS and transition services.
Vermont has a good infrastructure to provide supported employment for youth with developmental disabilities and emotional/behavioral disabilities.
Areas for Development in the Vermont System
Core transition teams have formed and met in all 12 Agency of Human Services districts. Most are in the early development stage however, and are working out local processes and agreements. These teams will need time and support to become fully functional and effective groups.
Youth with disabilities are less likely to obtain competitive employment during the transition years. Early employment experiences are a strong predictor of adult employment success. According to VFN, students who have had work experiences expressed more confidence in their ability to work. This suggests youth need more opportunities for real work based learning experiences and/or competitive employment.
Post-secondary education and training opportunities are key for students and youth with disabilities to access higher wage jobs and develop long term career opportunities. Students and youth with disabilities are less likely than their peers without disabilities, to access postsecondary education.