The point of Pre-ETS is to improve education and employment outcomes for youth with disabilities, closing the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers.

Let's take a moment to imagine what that looks like.

Picture it…

On the day of high school graduation, students with disabilities have their diplomas in hand.

They have graduated from high school! Woohoo!

They can list their interests and abilities and have explored jobs compatible with those attributes.

They can describe their disabilities to others and request the accommodations they need to succeed.

They can describe their rights and their responsibilities; they have learned they must have some skin in the game to achieve their goals.

They have demonstrated their understanding of the work habits employers expect in hands-on work experiences.

They have experienced the satisfaction of being appreciated for their contributions and paid for a well-done job.

How did they achieve these accomplishments? Through Pre-Employment Transition Services!

Who is Eligible for Pre-Employment Transitions Services?

Eligible students are:

• between the ages of 14 and 21 (minimum and maximum age requirements vary by state)
• enrolled in secondary, postsecondary, or other recognized education program
• diagnosed with a disability and eligible or potentially eligible for vocational rehabilitation services

What are Pre-Employment Transition Services?

Career development can be described as a journey. The prescribedfive Pre-ETS represent strategic stops along the journey.

Each stop is designed to help youth with disabilities discover information about themselves, various jobs, and universal work expectations. Along the way, they'll encounter opportunities to practice what they've learned in real jobs with real-world expectations.

Like most career paths, the journey may not be linear. The youth may circle back, returning to previous stops whenever necessary. For example, after completing a work-based learning experience, a Pre-ETS participant may return to job exploration to explore information about another occupation and then set out again to try that job. They, like the rest of us, learn as they go.

In the next module, we will complete activities related to stops along the Pre-ETS trail. First, we'll take a tour, observing each pitstop's purpose, supportive evidence, and the counselor's role at each stop.