2. Vocational Rehabilitation
3. Partners
4. Agreements
5. WIOA School-DVR Partnerships

WIOA School-DVR Partnerships

Revised October 2019

Under WIOA, DVR is now an enhanced transition partner with schools, providing additional services and supports to increase employment outcomes for students with disabilities.

DVR and school staff will continue to collaborate and coordinate services for students with disabilities as outlined in the Transition Action Guide (TAG). Together, schools and DVR will ensure opportunities for students with disabilities to work toward integrated and competitive employment outcomes through the provision of Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS).

WIOA Pre-Employment Transition Services and Definitions

Pre-ETS as defined in WIOA include:

1. Job Exploration Counseling Services – Support for the student to learn about a variety of career options to make informed choices about current and future employment.
2. Work-Based Learning Experiences – Provide opportunities for the student to gain hands-on experience to identify strengths and interests and develop skills for employment.
3. Counseling on Opportunities for Enrollment in Comprehensive Transition or PostSecondary Educational Programs – Assist the student to achieve academic goals during high school and explore college and job training programs.
4. Work Readiness Training – Support the student to build skills for increased independence at home and in the community.
5. Instruction in Self-Advocacy – Provide information, guidance, and experiences for the student to gain self-knowledge and skills to appropriately express needs and opinions.

Best Practices in Service Coordination between DVR and Schools

To ensure successful coordination between DVR and schools, best practices include:

• Assign schools DVR staff who are committed to developing strong working relationships with school staff, students, and parents/guardians.
• Always wear a name badge.
• Set expectations, but also be flexible with students regarding contacts/deadlines.
• Hand out business cards frequently.
• Keep parents/guardians informed of DVR staff contact with their student. Send detailed emails to parents/guardians and teachers after meeting with students, and ensure you have permission from the student in advance if they are their own guardian.
• Present to students and staff about the services DVR can provide. This will assist them in getting to know you.
• Schedule monthly meetings in advance at the school. Ideally using a consistent rotating schedule so teachers and staff know when DVR staff will be at school (e.g. Second Thursday of the month from 8:30am-2:00pm).
• Have a planning meeting with transition coordinator and/or with special education staff to review DVR information and processes at the beginning of the school year.
• Have at least two DVR orientation sessions at the school – one per semester.
• Attend parent teacher nights and resource fairs to give information about DVR.
• Attend local County Communities on Transition (CCoT) meetings.
• Attend IEP meetings as invited and available for both current DVR consumers and potentially eligible students to provide DVR resource and service information.