VR Youth Engagement Resources
This resource collection includes youth-friendly tools, podcast episodes, and professional guidance designed to help students, families, schools, Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, Pre-ETS providers, and community partners work together to support youth with disabilities as they plan for life after high school.
Featured Resource Collection
Explore the YETI-created resources below to support conversations about VR, Pre-ETS, transition planning, youth voice, and stronger partnerships between youth, families, schools, and VR professionals.
For Youth and Families
Learn what Pre-ETS and VR services are, how they can support your goals, and what questions youth and families can ask as they plan for the future.
For VR Professionals and Partners
Explore youth recommendations that can help professionals communicate more clearly, build trust, focus on strengths, and create real opportunities for young people.
Listen and Learn
Hear directly from youth and partners about connecting youth to VR, starting early, exploring opportunities, and keeping youth voice at the center.
YEN Talks: Connecting Youth to Vocational Rehabilitation
YEN Talks is a youth-centered podcast series created through the Youth Engagement Transition Initiative, or YETI. This three-part series explores practical ways schools, families, Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, and community partners can better connect youth with disabilities to Vocational Rehabilitation services.
The series connects directly to The Top 10 Ways to Connect Youth to Vocational Rehabilitation, a youth-friendly resource that highlights key practices such as starting VR conversations early, including VR in IEP and transition meetings, focusing on strengths and interests, reducing barriers, and listening to youth and families first.
Visit Youth Engagement Now
The Top 10 Ways to Connect Youth to Vocational Rehabilitation
This resource offers simple, practical strategies for helping youth and families understand and access Vocational Rehabilitation services. The Top 10 list reminds us that strong transition planning starts early, works best when everyone plans together, and should always center the voice of youth and families.
Download the Top 10 List
YEN Talks Podcast Episodes
Each YEN Talks episode connects to specific strategies from The Top 10 Ways to Connect Youth to Vocational Rehabilitation. Use the episodes individually or as a series to support youth, family, school, VR, and partner conversations.
Episode 1: Starting Early & Building the Right Team
Body Text: Starting earlier gives youth and families more time to explore goals, understand services, and build a support team before major transition decisions need to be made. In this episode, Janet and Cesar discuss why early conversations matter and how adults can make IEP and VR-focused meetings more comfortable and meaningful for young people.
This Episode Connects To
This episode connects to the importance of starting VR conversations early, including VR in IEP and transition meetings, and working together to support youth success.
Top 10 Connections:
- Start talking about VR early
Early planning gives youth and families more time to explore goals and understand supports. - Include VR in IEP and transition meetings
VR works best when schools, youth, families, and counselors plan together. - Work together to support success
Strong teamwork leads to better outcomes for youth.
Watch or Listen
Use the links below to watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the audio version.
Episode 2: Helping Youth Explore Opportunities
Work experiences, Pre-ETS, and clear information can help youth better understand their options for life after high school. In this episode, Jake, Elizabeth, and Dawn talk about what people may misunderstand about VR, why real experiences matter, what barriers can make participation harder, and what practical supports help youth stay engaged.
This Episode Connects To
This episode connects to helping youth and families understand VR, connecting youth to Pre-ETS and work-based experiences, reducing barriers, and improving communication between partners.
Top 10 Connections:
- Help youth and families understand
Clear resources help people feel more confident using services. - Connect youth to Pre-ETS and job experiences
Real experiences help youth build skills and confidence. - Reduce barriers when possible
Transportation, paperwork, and scheduling can make participation a challenge. - Improve communication between partners
Regular communication helps everyone stay on the same page.
Watch or Listen
Use the links below to watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the audio version.
Episode 3: Keeping Youth Voice at the Center
Youth voice should be at the center of transition planning. In this episode, Joe, Elizabeth, and Billy discuss why planning should start with a young person’s strengths and interests, what self-advocacy can look like in real life, and how adults can better listen to youth and families.
This Episode Connects To
Body Text: This episode connects to focusing on strengths and interests, teaching self-advocacy skills, and listening to youth and families first.
Top 10 Connections:
- Focus on strengths and interests
Start with what the youth enjoys and does well. - Teach self-advocacy skills
Youth should learn how to speak up about their disability, supports, and goals. - Listen to youth and families first
Understanding their perspective helps create better plans.
Watch or Listen
Body Text: Use the links below to watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the audio version.
Youth-Friendly VR and Pre-ETS Resources
These youth- and family-created resources can support conversations about Pre-ETS, VR, transition planning, youth voice, and stronger partnerships. They are designed to help youth and families better understand services while also helping professionals reflect on how services are communicated and delivered.
Your Voice + Your Goals + Your Opportunities =
YOUR FUTURE
What Youth Need to Know About Pre-ETS and VR
Top 10 Things Every Student Should Know About Pre-Employment Transition Services and Vocational Rehabilitation
This student-friendly resource helps youth better understand Pre-Employment Transition Services, or Pre-ETS, and Vocational Rehabilitation, or VR, services. It explains how Pre-ETS can support students with disabilities as they explore careers, build skills, learn about themselves, and prepare for life after high school.
The resource reminds students that they do not need to have everything figured out right away. Instead, Pre-ETS can help them explore options, ask questions, identify their strengths, and take steps toward their future. It also highlights that youth voice matters, work experiences can help students learn what they like, and VR services may provide additional supports related to employment, training, college, job coaching, transportation, and more.
Best For: Students, youth, families, educators, and transition partners who want a clear and youth-friendly introduction to Pre-ETS and VR.
Download “What Youth Need to Know About Pre-ETS and VR”
Ways to Use These Resources
These resources can be used in classrooms, youth leadership groups, family trainings, transition meetings, professional development sessions, and conversations between students, families, schools, and VR professionals.
For Youth and Families
Use these resources to learn about Pre-ETS and VR, prepare questions, talk about goals, and take a more active role in transition planning.
For Schools and Transition Teams
Use these resources to introduce VR earlier, include youth voice in IEP and transition meetings, and strengthen partnerships with families and VR counselors.
For VR Professionals and Pre-ETS Providers
Use these resources to reflect on how services are communicated, how relationships are built, and how youth are supported to lead planning around their own futures.
For Trainings and Presentations
Use the visual resources, podcast episodes, and language-only versions to support staff development, youth leadership activities, family engagement sessions, and cross-agency conversations.
Resources for VR Professionals and Transition Partners
The resources in this section share direct youth and family recommendations for improving VR, Pre-ETS, and transition services. They are designed to help professionals strengthen communication, build trust, center youth voice, and create services that are more accessible, meaningful, and connected to real life.
Youth Recommendations for Improving VR, Pre-ETS, and Transition Services
What Youth Want Professionals to Remember
This resource shares recommendations from youth, young adults, students, and families about how VR, Pre-ETS, transition planning, and related systems can better support young people with disabilities. The recommendations focus on listening to youth, starting early, building on strengths, creating real opportunities, teaching self-advocacy, supporting life skills, communicating accessibly, promoting belonging, working together, and believing in youth potential.
Youth emphasized that services should be strengths-based, person-centered, and connected to real-life goals. They want professionals to recognize their interests, aspirations, support needs, and contributions. They also want meaningful opportunities to participate in IEP meetings, transition planning, Pre-ETS activities, and decisions about their education, employment, and future goals.
Best For: VR counselors, Pre-ETS providers, educators, transition staff, families, and community partners who want to strengthen youth-centered practices and improve how services are planned and delivered.
Download “Youth Recommendations for Improving VR, Pre-ETS, and Transition Services” ↓
What Youth Want VR Professionals to Know: The Do’s & Don’ts
Practical Youth-Created Guidance for VR Professionals
What Youth Want VR Professionals to Know: The Do’s & Don’ts is a resource created by youth to help Vocational Rehabilitation professionals better understand what meaningful, effective support looks like from a young person’s perspective.
Drawing directly from youth experiences, this resource moves beyond traditional youth engagement advice to offer practical, actionable, and sometimes outside-the-box recommendations that can strengthen relationships, improve communication, support self-determination, and make services more relevant and impactful.
Organized around six key themes, the resource pairs common pitfalls with concrete strategies and real-world examples that VR professionals can immediately apply in their day-to-day work.
Best For: VR professionals, Pre-ETS providers, transition staff, and partners looking for concrete ways to improve communication, build stronger relationships with youth, and provide support that reflects what young people say they need.
Format Note: Available as both a visual infographic and a language-only version for flexible use across trainings, presentations, and direct service settings.
Closing Section
Youth and families know what helps young people feel supported, prepared, and included. These YETI-created resources invite students, families, educators, Vocational Rehabilitation professionals, and transition partners to work together so youth with disabilities have access to the information, opportunities, and support they need to build the future they want.
Visit Youth Engagement Now →