Sheila Ward, Senior Consultant

What is your role?

• Student

• Parent/Guardian

• School District Staff

• Postsecondary Education Staff

• Vocational Rehabilitation Staff

• Other State Agency Staff

• Other

Have heard of Vocational Rehabilitation?

• Yes

• No

An agency that helps people with disabilities enhance their independence through employment and prepare for, find, and maintain employment

We help students with disabilities transition from high school to:

• career/technical school

• college or university

• or directly into employment

And…

Provides:

• Networking opportunities

• Hands-on training in a community setting

• Social and work readiness skills

From your experience, do you feel students leaving high school

• Can identify their strengths, abilities, and interests?

• Identify and develop a career pathway?

• Possess valuable skills that will help them reach their educational and career goals?

• Have experienced the benefits of employment?

• Have increased their independence?

We can help students:

• Explore strengths, abilities, and interests

• Identify and develop a career pathway

• Learn valuable skills that will help them reach their educational and career goals

• Experience the benefits of employment

• Increase their independence

• Job Exploration Counseling – reviews options that are best suited to your skills, abilities, aptitudes, and interests

• Work Readiness Training – focuses on employability and related skills that prepare you to work

• Self-Advocacy Training and Peer Mentoring* – teaches you how to speak up for yourself and make decisions about your own life to become more independent

• Postsecondary Educational Counseling* – provides an awareness of career pathway options with job and career information

• Work-based Learning Experiences – provides practical hands-on training for employability skill

*Services are being added Peer Mentoring will be available to VR Customers

A pathway to VR Services that offers limited Pre-Employment Transition Services that can help students:

• Explore

• Prepare for, and

• Make career-based decisions

VR is now able to serve students who:

• Do not need an application to VR

• Do not have to be determined eligible

• 14 through 21

• In high school, trade school, college, or university

• Have a current IEP, 504 Plan, other school documentation indicating your status as a student with a disability

• Self-Directed, Independent

• Require little support to access and participate in services

• Students, please enter how you feel these services might benefit you as you transition out of high school or postsecondary education or training?

• Adults, please enter how you feel these services might have helped you as you were transitioning out of high school or postsecondary education or training?

• Finding a job

• Learning a job

• Keeping a job

• Time-limited medical or psychological treatment

Apply to VR if you need help with:

• Assistive technology, devices, or services

• Transportation

• Education or training after high school (e.g. trade school, college, university)

• Physical/mental/cognitive/development impairment

• Impediment to employment

• Need for VR services

• Benefit from VR services

• SSI/SSDI presumed eligible (based on youth’s disability)

Order of Selection (OOS)

Students can receive Pre-ETS until they:

• Turn 22

• Decide services are no longer needed

• Graduate or exit high school or trade school, college, university program

• Discovery (Assessment and Customized Employment)

• Work-based Learning Experience (WBLE) Program

• Project Search

• Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) Programs

• High School High Tech

• Available to students who receive Pre-ETS through STAR and VR Participants

• Only available during summer vacation

• Is typically seen as an introduction to the Pre-Employment Transition Services

• Where can you go to find information on Vocational Rehabilitation?

Questions?Contact Information:

Sheila WardSheila.ward@vr.fldoe.org850-245-3347