PLEASE CONTACT CLAYTON REES WITH QUESTIONS.

Due to circumstances described in the attached documents, OVRS will invoke Order of Selection on January 15, 2009. In the interest to keep you informed of the details of this decision and its implications on the Youth Transition Program, we have attached two documents that will explain some of the rationale for the decision. Those documents are a "YTP Partners Letter" and the "Order of Selection Notice" that refers to upcoming public hearings. There will be an opportunity for you to participate in a public forum to learn more about the Order of Selection and how YTP will be affected. The dates of those forums and additional information of interest is contained in the attached documents.

The Youth Transition Program will continue to provide services as usual under the Order of Selection. YTP clients can continue to apply for and receive services without going onto the statewide waiting list. OVRS was able to find some additional resources to help continue the cost of operating the YTP statewide.

The Youth Transition Program (YTP) is a comprehensive transition program for youth with disabilities operated collaboratively by the office of Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS), the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the University of Oregon (U of O), and local school districts statewide in Oregon. The purpose of the program is to prepare youth with disabilities for employment or career related post secondary education or training.

YTP was initially developed in seven high schools in 1990 under the auspices of a federal grant. The program currently operates in approximately 120 high schools in Oregon and is funded through a combination of state and local funds from participating education and rehabilitation agencies. OVRS contracts with a team from the U of O to provide training and technical assistance to school and rehabilitation personnel statewide.

All current contracts with local school districts are "performance based". This means that funded YTP sites have to meet certain performance benchmarks targeted at entering the OVRS system, development of an individual plan for employment (IPE), and being "engaged" (i.e. in employment or training or some combination of employment and training) upon exiting the YTP pattern of service. Meeting these benchmarks influences future funding decisions for any particular site. Funding is available on a biennial (i.e. every 2 years) basis and funding decisions are influenced by how YTP sites perform towards meeting their benchmarks. For more specifics about benchmarks, upload the sample "YTP State Summary Report" attached below and read the top of the first page. The data contained in this report was current as of 11/25/2008 and should not be used to describe the performance of the program statewide. It is only a sample.

The YTP provides year-round services to youth typically during the last two years of high school and continuing into the early transition years after leaving high school. All students in the program receive a comprehensive pattern of service designed to address a broad array of transition needs including:

1. Individualized planning, focused on post school goals and self determination, and help to coordinate school plans with relevant community agencies;


2. Instruction in academic, vocational, independent living, and personal social skills and help to stay in and complete high school;


3. Career development services including goal setting, career exploration, job search skills, and self advocacy;


4. Emphasis on paid employment such as connections with local employers, development of school-based businesses, on the job assessment and training;


5. Support services such as individualized mentoring and support or referrals for additional specific interventions;