Transition Unlimited

Transition Unlimited is an Alabama pre‐employment transition services, or Pre‐ETS, initiative designed to build capacity and connect services to appropriately implement pre‐employment transition services throughout the state. The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Service, in collaboration with the Auburn University Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling, presents Transition Unlimited. The initiative's goal is to provide guidance to transition stakeholders and local education agencies during the development of action plans for the delivery of Pre-ETS that best meet the needs of students with disabilities who are eligible or potentially eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. Overall, Transition Unlimited underscores our commitment to keeping a focus on transition services at the local level.

As outlined within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, pre‐employment transition services provide students with disabilities an opportunity to gain the skills necessary to compete in today’s workforce. The required pre‐employment transition services are:

• job exploration counseling;
• work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or after-school opportunities or experience outside the traditional school setting (including internships), that are provided in an integrated environment to the maximum extent possible;
• counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs at institutions of higher education;
• workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living; and
• instruction in self-advocacy, which may include peer mentoring.

• Each local multidisciplinary team will have the opportunity to collaborate to develop action plans for the delivery of pre-employment transition services.
• Each team’s action plan will be accessible so teams can learn from one another. This will provide an opportunity to build awareness of pre-employment transition services throughout Alabama.
• Ongoing technical assistance will be available to teams during the process of this initiative.

The Transition Unlimited Initiative brings specific Pre-ETS planning to each local high school, which builds upon previous planning efforts. Local education agencies are encouraged to actively participate.