Increasing CIL Capacity
For students with disabilities, preparing for life after high school involves discovering interests, exploring careers, building confidence, and developing skills to make informed decisions about the future.
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) provide opportunities for students with disabilities to develop these skills and prepare for employment and post-secondary education.
Services for Independent Living (SIL) developed training resources that help Centers for Independent Living (CILs) understand and expand their capacity to provide these services.
The project supports statewide efforts to develop model practices, strengthen CIL service delivery, and expand opportunities for youth with disabilities.
Purpose of the Project
Equip Centers for Independent Living with practical knowledge, guidance, and training materials for becoming Pre-ETS providers and delivering services that support student choice, self-advocacy, and preparation for employment.
The training materials provide an introduction to Pre-ETS provider participation, documentation and billing, and the five required Pre-ETS service areas. CILs can use these resources to explore service expansion and inform their own program planning.
Centers for Independent Living already bring valuable expertise in self-advocacy, peer support, skills training, disability rights, and community inclusion.
Pre-ETS offers another way for CILs to apply that expertise while helping students explore their interests, understand workplace expectations, and prepare for their next steps.
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast
Overview of Pre-ETS, becoming a provider, organizational considerations, and service delivery options.
Understanding authorizations, documentation, billing records, reporting procedures, and the Aware Portal.
Supporting students in understanding their rights, requesting accommodations, developing leadership, and speaking up for themselves.
Helping students identify interests, explore career possibilities, and learn about different employment options.
Exploring education, training, and other opportunities available after high school.
Developing workplace behaviors, communication skills, interviewing skills, and preparation for employment.
Understanding work environments through career exploration, worksite tours, job shadowing, and related experiences.
CILs working cooperatively to share information
The initiative was designed to help Centers for Independent Living understand the steps involved in developing and sustaining Pre-ETS services.
Services for Independent Living developed the training materials using staff experience in providing Pre-ETS and other Independent Living services to youth with disabilities.
The project reflects the value of sharing practical experience and expertise across Ohio’s Independent Living Network.
The completion of the training development project provides Ohio’s Independent Living Network with a set of resources that can support future service planning, staff development, and exploration of Pre-ETS delivery.
By sharing these materials across the network, OSILC seeks to help CILs build upon existing expertise, learn from one another, and consider additional opportunities to support youth with disabilities.
CILs that participated in trainings:
- Advancing Independence Network
- Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential
- Southeastern Ohio Center for Independent Living
This project was funded with Title VII Part B funding to support activities to increase capacity to develop approaches or systems for providing IL services