Pre-Employment Transition Services: A Model for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals Working with Students and Youth with Visual Impairments

Vocational rehabilitation Pre-employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are the earliest services available to eligible or potentially eligible youth and students with disabilities. Pre-ETS for students or youth who are blind or have low vision presents unique challenges and requires an understanding of the complex dynamics associated with visual impairment. This course focuses on Pre-ETS, specifically for individuals who are blind and have low vision. The course includes sample activities and curriculum suggestions for each of the five required Pre-ETS. 

This course is available for 1.5 CRC credit.

Objectives/Agenda  

• Gain comprehensive knowledge about the Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) program, including its objectives, target audience, and eligibility criteria.
• Understand the specific services mandated under the Pre-ETS program and their individual roles in enhancing the employability skills of participants.
• Develop practical skills and strategies for successfully implementing Pre-ETS services in diverse educational and community settings by exploring case studies and curriculum models to understand how to tailor Pre-ETS services to meet the unique needs of students and/or youth who are blind or low vision.  Focus on collaboration with stakeholders, including educators, employers, and community organizations.
• Identify and utilize a range of resources available to enhance the delivery and impact of Pre-ETS services.  

Course Instructor: This course was created by Sylvia Stinson-Perez, who has over 20 years of experience in administrating, designing, and providing direct services in Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Sylvia is a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, and has Master’s degrees in Social Work, Visual Disabilities, and in Business Administration.

The following are recommended screen reader and browser combinations:

• Mac: Voiceover with the latest version of Safari,
• PC: JAWS or NVDA with Firefox

This course was developed by the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University. We are the only national center funded to conduct research related to employment for people with blindness or low vision, and training and technical assistance for the federal Older Individuals who are Blind program. As a national center of excellence, we offer resources on a variety of topics for service providers, businesses, and persons with vision loss on our websites:

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