1. Vocational Rehabilitation: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
Peter FitzGerald
Technical Assistance Provider
Youth Transition Program

2. Purposes of this Session
To overview key regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (I.D.E.A.) and the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act of 2014 (W.I.O.A.)
To keep you out of the weeds by building bridges between the two Acts related to
- purposes, definitions,
- transition services, assessments, and follow-up

3. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
WIOA reauthorizes the Workforce Investment of (WIA) including the Rehabilitation Act through the year 2020, was signed by President Obama on July, 22nd 2014.

4. Purposes of the Acts IDEA WIOA
To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. 34 C.F.R. §300.1
To increase, for individuals in the United States, particularly those individuals with barriers to employment, access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services they need to succeed in the labor market.
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5. WIOA & IDEA Coexisting
“Nothing within WIOA is to be construed as reducing the responsibility of the local educational agencies or any other agencies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to provide or pay for transition services that are also considered to be special education or related services necessary for the provision of a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities.”

6. VR’s WIOA Mandate
In collaboration with the local educational agencies involved, [VR] shall provide, or arrange for the provision of, pre-employment transition services for all students with disabilities in need of such services who are eligible or potentially eligible for services under this title.

7. Definitions of Transition Services
WIOA
IDEA
A coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that—(1) designed to be within a results- oriented process, … focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including: postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation; (2) Is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes— (i) Instruction; (ii) Related services; (iii) Community experiences; (iv) The development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and(v) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation. (b) Transition services for children with disabilities may be special education, if provided as specially designed instruction, or a related service, if required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.
A coordinated set of activities for a student or youth with a disability (i) Designed within an outcome-oriented process that promotes movement from school to post-school activities, includes
- postsecondary education, vocational training, competitive integrated employment, supported employment, continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;
(ii)Based upon the individual student's or youth's needs, taking into account the student's or youth's preferences and interests; (iii) That includes -
instruction, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation;
(iv) That promotes or facilitates the achievement of the employment outcome identified in the student's or youth's individualized plan for employment; and
(v) That includes outreach to and engagement of the parents, or, as appropriate, the representative of such a student or youth with a disability.

8. Eligibility for Transition Services
WIOA
IDEA
Youth with a disability
Ages 16 to 24
Student with a disability:
Ages 14 to 21
Who is eligible for & receiving IDEA services, or
An individual with a disability for purposes of section 504.
Pre-employment transition services must be provided only to students with a disability
Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team, and updated annually.

9. Overview of WIOA Transitions Services Specific to Vocational Rehabilitation
15% set aside for Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
PETS coordination with School Districts (LEAs)
For all potentially eligible students
Transition Coordination between Local VR offices and LEAs
Two new definitions: (1) Student with a disability = 16 to 21 who is eligible for and receiving IDEA services or is an individual with a disability for purposes of section 504. (2) Youth with a disability = 14 to 24. Pre-employment transition services must be provided only to "students with a disability.“
Requires all states to use at least 15% of section 110 state allotments for provision of pre-employment transition services. The 15% cannot be used to pay for administrative costs of providing the pre-employment transition services.
Each local office of a DSE must: (1) attend IEP meetings for students with disabilities when invited, (2) work with local workforce development boards, One-Stop centers, and employers to develop work opportunities for students with disabilities, (3) work with schools, to coordinate and guarantee the provision of pre-employment transitions services (4) attend person-centered planning meetings for individuals receiving services under Title 19 of Social Security Act, when invited.

10. 15% allotment for Pre-ETS
WIOA requires all states to use at least 15% of section 110 state allotments for provision of pre-employment transition services. The 15% cannot be used to pay for administrative costs of providing the pre- employment transition services

11. PETS: REQUIRED ACTIVITIES
Job exploration counseling
Work-based learning experiences
Counseling on postsecondary education options
Workplace readiness training
Instruction in self-advocacy

12. Job exploration counseling – Examples:
Determine transferable skills, aptitudes, and interests
Identify viable employment and/or independent living services options
Explore labor market and wage information
Identify physical demands and other job characteristics
Narrow vocational options to identify a suitable employment goal
Select programs or training leading to an employment goal
Investigate training requirements
Identify resources needed to achieve rehabilitation

13. Work-based learning experiences – Examples:
In-school or after-school work experiences;
Experiences outside the traditional school setting, including internships;
Classroom activities tied to the work experience (e.g. job clubs, instruction where careers are explored, etc.);
Activities defined by training agreements;
Structured training tied to all aspects of a particular industry;
Learning competencies connect to a particular occupation or career.
Summer work experience (WIA, internships, etc.)

14. Counseling on postsecondary education options – Examples:
Understand how postsecondary education is different than secondary education in terms of reasonable accommodation (i.e. no Special Education), how Disability Resource Centers work, how to survive doing college level work etc.
Utilize resources that facilitate access to postsecondary education such as ; ; ; resources#postsecondary_resources

15. Workplace readiness training – Examples:
“Soft Skills” training that builds social skills necessary to sustain employment. Sometimes these skills are developed in venues like Job Clubs, classroom activities, NCRC classes, etc.
Courses that develop skills in managing money, navigating in the community, utilization of public transportation, leisure and recreation programs, or other instruction that helps individuals build the “underpinning” skills of life that support the ability to work.
Training that helps individuals find, get, and keep jobs.
Training that helps individuals learn “those skills or tasks that contribute to the successful independent functioning of an individual in adulthood” (Cronin, 1996). We often categorize these skills into the major areas related to our daily lives, such as housing, personal care, transportation, and social and recreational opportunities. Each student’s needs in the area of independent living are unique and should be determined through informal and formal age appropriate transitional assessments.

16. Instruction in self-advocacy – Examples:
Builds skills to demonstrate, ‘[...]one form of advocacy, occurring any time people speak or act on their own behalf to improve their quality of life, effect personal change, or correct inequalities’”
Increases the ability to articulate one’s needs and make informed decisions about the supports necessary to meet those needs.
Provides students with the skills and abilities to: make choices; make decisions; problem solve; set and attain goals; self-advocate; and independently perform tasks.
Usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (peer mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the peer mentee).
An example would be an experienced student being a peer mentor to a new student, the peer mentee, in a particular subject, or in a new school. Peer mentors are also used for health and lifestyle changes. For example, clients, or patients, with support from peers, may have one-on-one sessions that meet regularly to help them recover or rehabilitate. Peer mentoring provides individuals who have suffered from a specific life experience the chance to learn from those who have recovered, or rehabilitated, following such an experience. Peer mentors provide education, recreation and support opportunities to individuals. The peer mentor may challenge the mentee with new ideas, and encourage the mentee to move beyond the things that are most comfortable. Most peer mentors are picked for their sensibility, confidence, social skills, and reliability.

17. Local VR Office Transition Coordination
Attend IEP meetings for students with disabilities when invited,
Work with local workforce development boards, One-Stop centers, and employers to develop work opportunities for students with disabilities,
Work with schools, to coordinate and guarantee the provision of pre- employment transitions services
Attend person-centered planning meetings for individuals receiving services under Title 19 of Social Security Act, when invited.

18. Further State and National Resources
IDEA
WIOA
Oregon Department
of Education
pages/default.aspx
Sally Simich
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Keith Ozols

19. Peter FitzGerald
(503)