South Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation and Pre-ETS for Students with Disabilities

Most families hear about Pre-Employment Transition Services for the first time at an IEP meeting and walk away unclear on what they actually provide, who delivers them, and how to get started. In South Dakota, these services run through the Division of Rehabilitation Services — a separate agency from the school — and they're available earlier than many parents realize.

What Pre-ETS Covers

Pre-Employment Transition Services serve students with disabilities aged 14 to 21 who are enrolled in secondary education. The DRS delivers five core service areas at no cost to the family:

1. Job exploration counseling — assessing the student's interests and matching them to career pathways
2. Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadows, and community-based work placements
3. Counseling on postsecondary options — technical schools, college programs, and apprenticeships
4. Workplace readiness training — soft skills, workplace norms, and problem-solving on the job
5. Self-advocacy instruction — teaching the student to communicate their needs, request accommodations, and navigate professional interactions

These aren't just classroom activities. DRS counselors coordinate with employers to set up real work experiences in the community, which gives students a tangible track record before they exit school.

How to Access VR Services Through the School

Getting started requires a referral to the Division of Rehabilitation Services. The school district can initiate this, but families should ensure it actually happens — a referral is not automatic. Here's the process:

The parent or adult student signs a "Consent to Invite" form giving the school permission to bring the VR counselor into IEP meetings. This step is legally required before the school can invite any outside agency representative. Without the signed consent, the VR counselor won't be at the table when transition goals are being discussed.

Once the referral is complete, the DRS assigns a counselor who participates in transition IEP planning and helps coordinate services between the school and employment settings.

Project Skills and Project SEARCH

Beyond baseline Pre-ETS, South Dakota offers structured work-training programs for transition-aged students:

Project Skills places students ages 16–21 in community job sites with a job coach. The student works alongside employees in a real business while learning occupational skills. The DRS and the school share coordination responsibilities.

Project SEARCH is an intensive, full-year internship program typically for students in their final year of school eligibility (ages 18–21). Participants rotate through multiple job sites within a single host business, building skills across different roles. Program availability varies by region in South Dakota.

From Pre-ETS to Adult VR Services

The transition from Pre-ETS to adult Vocational Rehabilitation is not automatic. As the student approaches their final year in school, the VR counselor helps draft an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), which outlines the specific supports, training, and job placement services the adult VR program will provide after school exit. Adult VR services are free, though some are subject to an economic needs assessment.

The critical timing: the IPE should be drafted and signed while the student is still in school so there's no gap between school-based and adult-funded employment support.

The South Dakota IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes an agency communication log and VR liaison tracking tools to keep the referral, consent, and IPE process organized across multiple IEP cycles.

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