Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
Federally mandated career readiness services for students with disabilities ages 14–21, provided free through state vocational rehabilitation agencies (ACCES-VR in New York, DVRS in New Jersey).
Transition & Vocational Rehabilitation Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the key Pre-ETS, vocational rehabilitation, and special education transition terms you’ll see across our site.
ACCES-VR
Adult Career and Continuing Education Services–Vocational Rehabilitation — New York State's vocational rehabilitation agency, which funds Pre-ETS and adult employment services for people with disabilities.
DVRS
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services — New Jersey's vocational rehabilitation agency within the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, funding Pre-ETS, OSYES, and supported employment.
Potentially Eligible (PE)
An ACCES-VR designation for students with disabilities ages 14–21 who qualify for Pre-Employment Transition Services without an open vocational rehabilitation case. A PE referral is a pre-authorization request — not a full ACCES-VR application — that lets a student access Pre-ETS. Lincoln Square Coaching prepares and submits PE referrals to ACCES-VR on behalf of students and families. New Jersey DVRS uses a comparable pre-application referral process for students without an open DVRS case.
PE referral
The paperwork and supporting documentation submitted to ACCES-VR to obtain authorization for a Potentially Eligible student to begin Pre-ETS. Schools, families, or Lincoln Square Coaching can initiate the process; LSC completes and submits the referral on the student's behalf.
OPWDD
Office for People With Developmental Disabilities — New York State agency that coordinates services, supports, and funding for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records, and those rights transfer to the student when they turn 18 or attend a school beyond the high school level.
WIOA
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act — the 2014 federal law that created Pre-ETS and requires state vocational rehabilitation agencies to reserve at least 15% of their federal funding for students with disabilities.
IEP
Individualized Education Program — a legally required written plan for every public-school student receiving special education, documenting goals, services, and transition planning starting at age 14 (or 16, depending on state).
Self-advocacy
The ability to understand one's disability, communicate one's needs, and request accommodations in school, work, and community settings — a core Pre-ETS skill.
Service Authorization
The period of time and scope of services your funder (such as ACCES-VR, DVRS, OPWDD, or a school district) has approved you to receive. Each authorization has a start date, an end date, and a defined number of hours or sessions. When an authorization ends, your counselor or care manager decides whether to renew it based on your progress and goals.
Vocational evaluation
A structured assessment of a person's work aptitudes, interests, and support needs — used to identify career pathways and inform vocational rehabilitation planning.
Supported employment
A model of competitive, integrated employment for people with significant disabilities, in which a job coach provides on-site and fading support to help the person succeed at work.
Have a Question We Haven’t Defined?
Our team can walk you through any term, program, or process that applies to your family or school.