Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals

Without question, VR counselors are an invaluable resource for youth with disabilities. Their threefold body of knowledge--counseling, disability, and work-- sets them apart from school counselors and job service counselors.

Because of their unique combination of knowledge, VR counselors can tailor their approach according to varying disabilities and distinct phases of the Pre-ETS journey. In each phase, they play various pivotal roles for students. With their empathy and expertise, they bring both encouragement and clarity to a complicated journey. One parent told this writer, "A good VR counselor can make all the difference."

Various essential professionals, including VR techs, teachers, para-educators, and job coaches, work alongside VR counselors. They, too, are invaluable members of the Pre-ETS team.

Online Resources

There is a multitude of online resources to help youth explore careers. Likewise, it can be daunting to identify which resource to use. Many of them are excellent, and we encourage exploration of all of them. For this training program, however, we have chosen to simplify by selecting one online resource that meets our chosen guidelines:

• free and accessible format
• comprehensive career information
• disability information (or links to such)
• a youth and diversity-friendly format
• career videos

We have selected the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. We will visit the site to answer questions in the student scenarios.

Handouts

Delivering Pre-ETS services to youth with various disabilities can be complicated. There are many moving parts. We developed worksheets, templates, and infographics to clarify and streamline the process. Some of the handouts are listed below. They will be featured throughout this unit and will be available for download. With time and experience, it is anticipated that counselors and others working with youth will fashion their own tools. In the meantime, the handouts can serve as a starting point.

• My Trail to Success Checklist: a conceptual map and competency checklist summarizing the entire Pre-ETS journey on one page
• Intake Question Worksheet: a questionnaire designed to help counselors gather important information about how students' disabilities and impediments to school and work
• Informational Interview Worksheet: a document designed to help students carry out informational interviews
• Everyday Habits: an infographic summarizing necessary soft skills expected by employers, the habits that help one get and keep the job
• What I Need to Succeed: a worksheet designed to help students think through scenarios in which disclosure may be required and to tailor a script for those scenarios
• Master Application: a brochure-style document designed to house all the information a student needs when applying for a job

Podcasts

In this module, participants will be invited to listen to an actual Informational Interview with an employer to familiarize themselves with the process.

360-DegreeVideos

Participants will be invited to watch a video of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting filmed in 360 degrees for an immersive viewing experience. The first part of the video illustrates common mistakes made by team members. The second part describes corrections, including how counselors can modify their approach according to a student's disability.