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Topic Areas and Outcomes

Provide training and universal, targeted and intensive TA to SVRAs and related agencies and rehabilitation professionals and service providers in five topic areas related to changes made by WIOA:

1. Provision of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities and supported employment services to youth with disabilities
   Outcome: Implementation of effective and efficient pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities, as set forth in section 113 of the Rehabilitation Act
2. Implementation of the requirements in section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act that are under the purview of the Department of Education
   Outcome: Implementation by SVRAs, in coordination with local and State educational agencies and with the DOL, of the requirements in Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act that are under the purview of the DOE
3. Provision of resources and strategies to help individuals with disabilities achieve competitive integrated employment, including customized employment and supported
   Outcome: Increased access to supported employment and customized employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth with the most significant disabilities, receiving services under the State VR and Supported Employment programs
4. Integration of the State VR program into the workforce development system
   Outcomes: An increased percentage of individuals with disabilities who receive services through the State VR agency and who achieve employment outcomes in competitive integrated employment and (2) Improved collaboration between State VR agencies and other core programs of the workforce development system;
5. Transition to the new common performance accountability system under section 116 of WIOA, including the collection and reporting of common data elements.
   Outcome: Implementation of the new common performance accountability system under section 116 of WIOA.

Activities

Knowledge Development Activities

1. In the first year, collect information from the literature and from existing State and Federal programs about evidence-based and promising practices relevant to the work of the WINTAC and make this information publicly available in a searchable, accessible, and useful format. The WINTAC must review, at a minimum:
   1. Literature on evidence-based and promising practices relevant to the work of the WINTAC;
   2. The results of State VR agency monitoring conducted by RSA;
   3. State VR agency program and performance data;
   4. Department of Education and Department of Labor policies and guidance on program changes made by WIOA and implementation of those changes; and
   5. Any existing State VR agency memoranda of understanding (MOUs) or agreement (MOAs) related to the work of the WINTAC.
2. In the first year, conduct a survey of relevant stakeholders and VR service providers to identify workforce development TA needs and a process by which TA solutions can be offered to State VR agencies and their partners. The WINTAC must survey, at a minimum:
   1. State VR agency staff;
   2. Relevant RSA staff; and
   3. Other stakeholders, including stakeholders from the transition and special education community, the workforce development community, and the rehabilitation community.
3. Develop and refine one or more curriculum guides/tool kits for VR staff training for each of the five topic areas.

Technical Assistance and Dissemination Activities

1. Provide intensive, sustained TA to a minimum of 23 State VR agencies and their associated rehabilitation professionals and service providers in the topic areas. The WINTAC must provide intensive, sustained TA to a minimum of two agencies in the first year of the project and to a minimum of seven additional agencies per year in the second, third, and fourth years of the project. These are minimum requirements, and the expectation is that intensive, sustained TA will be provided, to the extent funds are available, to all of the State VR agencies that request intensive, sustained TA. This TA must include:
   1. For topic area (a), how to-
      1. Develop, manage, and implement effective pre-employment transition services to improve the transition of students with disabilities from secondary to postsecondary education and employment;
      2. Coordinate pre-employment transition services with transition services provided under IDEA; and
      3. Develop and implement supported employment services for youth with the most significant disabilities;
   2. For topic area (b):
      1. How to provide career-related counseling, information, and referral services to individuals entering and continuing employment at subminimum wages; and
      2. How to implement documentation requirements for youth with disabilities seeking employment at subminimum wage, in accordance with section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act;
   3. For topic area (c), how to design and implement new services and new roles and responsibilities among partner agencies to increase the percentage of individuals achieving competitive integrated employment and to meet the supported employment and customized employment requirements of the Rehabilitation Act;
   4. For topic area (d), how to develop model relationships between State VR agencies and other core programs of the workforce development system for purposes of implementing the requirements of title I of WIOA, especially those requirements related to integration of core programs into the workforce development system; and
   5. For topic area (e), how to effectively transition to the new common performance accountability system required in section 116 of WIOA and use performance results to implement programmatic changes to improve agency performance.
2. Provide a range of targeted, specialized TA and universal, general TA products and services on the topic areas in this priority. This TA must include, at a minimum, the following activities:
   1. Establishing and maintaining a state-of-the-art information technology (IT) platform sufficient to support Webinars, teleconferences, video conferences, and other virtual methods of dissemination of information and TA.
      Note: All products produced by WINTAC must meet government- and industry-recognized standards for accessibility, including section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
   2. Developing and maintaining a state-of-the-art archiving and dissemination system that-
      1. Provides a central location for later use of TA products, including course curricula, audiovisual materials, Webinars, examples of emerging and best practices for the topic areas in this priority, and any other TA products; and
      2. Is open and available to the public.
         Note: In meeting the requirements for (b)(1) and (2) above, the WINTAC may either develop new platforms or systems or may modify existing platforms or systems, so long as the requirements of this priority are met.
   3. Providing a minimum of two Webinars or video conferences over the course of the project on each of the topic areas in this priority to describe and disseminate information about emerging and best practices in each area.

Coordination Activities

1. Establish one or more communities of practice that focus on the topic areas in this priority and that act as vehicles for communication and exchange of information among State VR agencies and partners, including the results of TA projects that are in progress or have been completed;
2. Communicate, collaborate, and coordinate, on an ongoing basis, with other relevant Department-funded projects and those supported by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Commerce; and
3. Maintain ongoing communication with the RSA project officer and other RSA staff as required.