Roles & Responsibilities

Students

Prepare for your transition to adult life while you are still in school.
Explore academic classes and opportunities, extracurricular activities, community events, and work experiences that are of interest to you. Reach out to your support network (family members, friends, teachers, professionals) for guidance during this career exploration process.
Define your strengths, skills, interests, and challenges and understand how your disability impacts your work in order determine your need for short and long-term support. As you begin to think about your postsecondary and career goals and the support you will need to achieve them, apply to Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Attend and actively participate in meetings with your school, parents/guardians, and RSA to further refine your career goals.
Work with RSA to develop your Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) and choose the services you need to achieve your employment goal.
Strive to reach your goal. Apply for jobs and let your support network and RSA know how everything is going. Ask them for help if you need it.

Support and empower your student throughout the transition from school to adult life and encourage him/her to actively participate in the process. Stress the importance and value of work to your student.
Help your student explore his/her strengths, interests, abilities, and challenges and understand the impacts of his/her disability. At least two years before exit from high school, encourage your student to think about his/her options beyond high school and what supports he/she may need to achieve an employment goal. Help your student apply to Rehabilitation Services Administration for the services.
Collaborate with your student, the school, and RSA and attend and participate in meetings to discuss transition to adult life. Ensure that your student attends and participates in scheduled meetings with RSA. Help prepare your student for these meetings so he/she is ready to make informed choices about his/her future.
Connect your student to opportunities including internships, mock interviews, resumé building, etc. to help him/her prepare for the world of work.
Communicate with your student about his/her job search and if he/she needs help, encourage him/her to talk to the RSA VR Specialist and connect them to any other appropriate adult eligibility-based services.

Help your students and their families understand the transition process.
Encourage and empower your students to be self- advocates and active and informed participants in the transition process. Educate students about the "age of majority" (age 18) so that they are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Stress the importance and value of work to your students. Expose your students to the world of work via in class lessons, individual dialogues, career fairs, etc. Connect students to career exploration activities at school and in the community.
Guide your students in exploring their strengths, skills, interests, and challenges and how their disabilities impact their academic and professional work. Support students in developing their SMART career goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) and identifying what they need to do to reach these goals.
At least two years before your students exit high school, discuss their short-term and long-term needs for supports. Assist them in applying for RSA services. Ensure necessary documents are easily available to RSA to determine their eligibility.
Talk to students about their Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) and employment goals. Identify any supports you can provide while they are still in school to help them begin to strive to reach these goals.

Provide information about RSA services and processes to the DC community. Conduct outreach at every DC public high school, charter school, and non-public school serving DC high school students. Coordinate transition and career fairs within schools and the community to share information about RSA and connect to students and families.
Provide support to school staff in completing and submitting student applications to RSA.

Conduct intake interviews and make eligibility determinations at the schools of the students.
Guide students in exploring their strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, disabilities, and how they impact their employment goals.
Prepare students to make informed decisions about their transition and help them develop SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) and an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) with services they need to reach these goals.
Communicate with school staff, such as the IEP or 504 Plan team, on student progress towards eligibility, IPE plan development, and where necessary, IPE implementation.
Ensure that work experiences are aligned with students' post-school goals.
Connect students to services.
Maintain contact with students throughout the entire process. Monitor their progress towards achieving their employment goals and, once hired, ensure that the job is aligned with their goals and is going well.