Vocational education services can be included within the IEP in several ways. Depending upon the age and ability level of your child, goals for instruction can be included in the areas of grooming skills, social skills training, and general work behaviors. As your child moves toward secondary school age, vocational education services should be included in the IEP through training experiences in the classroom and in the community.

For example, experiences may include travel training on routes within a student’s daily schedule (pedestrian and public transportation), training on specific work tasks in the classroom and at sites throughout the community such as local businesses or industries.

Among the related services listed in federal law are rehabilitation counseling services. [20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401(26); 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.34(a).] These are services provided by qualified personnel to students with a disability in individual or group sessions that focus specifically on career development, employment preparation, achieving independence, and integration in the workplace and community. The term also includes vocational rehabilitation services provided to students with disabilities by vocational rehabilitation programs funded under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. [34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.34(c)(12).] This related service should be requested for every special education student who has needs in the areas of career development, employment preparation, achieving independence, or community and workplace integration.