One of the most valuable services available to transition-age students is also one of the most underused: Vocational Rehabilitation. VR exists to help people with disabilities prepare for, get, and keep employment, and a student who connects with it before graduation walks into adulthood with support that the IEP — which ends at graduation — can't provide. Yet too many students leave high school never having been referred. Bridging that gap is a core part of transition planning.
What Vocational Rehabilitation does
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federally funded, state-run program that helps individuals with disabilities achieve employment. For a transition student, VR can provide career counseling, vocational assessment, job training, help with postsecondary education connected to an employment goal, assistive technology, job placement, and supported employment services. It's the bridge between the structured support of school and the working world — and it continues long after the IEP is gone.
Pre-ETS: support that starts in school
A key thing many teams don't realize is that VR support doesn't have to wait until graduation. Under federal law, VR agencies provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities while they're still in high school. Pre-ETS includes five core activities:
- Job exploration counseling — helping students learn about career options.
- Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadowing, work experiences.
- Counseling on postsecondary education options.
- Workplace readiness training — soft skills and independent living skills.