Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services

The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is the state agency that connects individuals with disabilities to employment — through vocational rehabilitation counseling, job placement, on-the-job training, assistive technology, and transition services that bridge the gap between school and work. For families navigating the disability transition at 18, DRS is often the first adult agency they should engage, because the application timeline starts earlier than most families realize: age 15½.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

DRS operates the state's vocational rehabilitation (VR) program under federal Rehabilitation Act funding. When a young adult is accepted as a VR client, they work with a DRS counselor to develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) — a written agreement that identifies the employment goal, the services needed to reach it, and the timeline.

Services available through the VR program include:

• Career counseling and assessment — aptitude testing, vocational evaluation, and career exploration
• Job placement and retention support — resume development, interview skills, job search assistance, and follow-up after placement
• On-the-job training — paid work experiences with employer partners
• Post-secondary education support — tuition assistance, tutoring, and academic accommodation coordination for students pursuing college or technical training
• Assistive technology — devices, software, and equipment modifications that enable employment
• Transportation assistance — when transportation is the barrier to accessing a job or training program

DRS does not provide long-term daily living support or residential services — those fall under DDS waivers. DRS focuses specifically on employment outcomes.

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Before a student is ready for formal VR services, DRS offers Pre-Employment Transition Services to students with disabilities aged 14 to 21 who are enrolled in secondary or post-secondary education. Pre-ETS includes five core activities:

1. Job exploration counseling
2. Work-based learning experiences
3. Counseling on post-secondary education opportunities
4. Workplace readiness training
5. Self-advocacy instruction

Pre-ETS can be accessed through a referral to the DRS transition team or through the University of Oklahoma's National Center for Disability Education and Training (NCDET), which holds the statewide Pre-ETS outreach contract. Students do not need to be a formal DRS client to receive Pre-ETS — they only need to be a student with a documented disability.

Applying at 15½

The strategic timeline for DRS engagement follows two stages:

Potentially eligible (age 14+): Students with IEPs can be referred to DRS by their school transition coordinator for Pre-ETS. This does not require a formal application and does not create a VR case file.

Formal application (age 15½): At 15½, the student can submit a formal Application for Service to DRS through the online self-referral portal at oklahoma.gov/okdrs/self-refer.html. This converts their status from potentially eligible to an active VR client and initiates the IPE development process.

Why 15½ and not 18? The VR intake process — eligibility determination, assessment, IPE development — takes months. By starting at 15½, the student has an employment plan in place before the school-to-adult transition, and DRS services can begin supplementing (not replacing) school-based transition goals during the final years of education.

School Work Study and Work Adjustment Training

DRS coordinates two school-based work programs that provide paid employment experience while the student is still in school:

School Work Study (SWS) — Students work part-time at community job sites while receiving academic credit. DRS funds a portion of the student's wages during the training period, reducing the employer's cost and incentivizing placement.

Work Adjustment Training (WAT) — A structured program focused on building foundational work behaviors — punctuality, following directions, workplace social skills, and task completion. WAT is typically provided at a DRS-contracted training facility before the student moves to competitive integrated employment.

Both programs require coordination between the DRS counselor and the school's special education transition coordinator, and both should be referenced in the student's IEP transition goals.

Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH is an intensive, one-year employment preparation program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Oklahoma DRS operates multiple Project SEARCH sites in partnership with host businesses — typically hospitals, universities, or large employers. Participants rotate through three 10-week internships at the host business site, receiving job coaching and instruction from a DRS-funded skills trainer.

The program targets the final year of school eligibility (typically age 21-22) and is designed to transition directly into competitive integrated employment at the host business or a similar employer. Acceptance is competitive, and families should inquire about Project SEARCH openings through their DRS transition counselor at least a year before the planned participation date.

Coordinating DRS With DDS and SSI

DRS vocational rehabilitation and DDS waiver services are separate programs with separate funding — a young adult can receive both simultaneously. DRS provides employment-focused services, while DDS provides daily living support, respite, and community integration services. The two agencies do not coordinate automatically, so families need to manage both relationships independently.

For SSI recipients, DRS employment services interact with Social Security work incentives — the Student Earned Income Exclusion ($2,410/month, $9,730/year in 2026), the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), and Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE). A DRS counselor or certified Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) coordinator can model how employment income affects SSI and SoonerCare eligibility.

The Oklahoma SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes the DRS application checklist, IPE planning worksheet, and a coordination timeline that integrates VR services with DDS waiver enrollment and SSI work incentives.

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