4. Recruitment letter_Case study Interview_ final draft 2.11MH

OMB Control No: 1230-0NEW

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Dear VR State Administrator or collaborative partner in delivering Pre-ETS,

The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) is conducting research on Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). The Center was created in 2019 by the United States Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy and seeks to improve employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by helping states build capacity in their youth service delivery and workforce systems. CAPE-Youth is a collaboration between The Council of State Governments, the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at Cornell University, and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Your state VR agency representative, or designee, participated in our national questionnaire on the Pre-ETS program initiative in spring 2021 as part of our research project. The purpose of this research is to better understand Pre-ETS implementation across states, including strategies for delivering Pre-ETS, challenges encountered, and indicators for measuring success. This information will be used to help states effectively deliver Pre-ETS to various eligible populations of students with disabilities. Your state has been selected as part of a case study for delivering Pre-ETS to students with disabilities. As your state’s VR director or designee, or other nominated valuable collaborative partner important to delivering Pre-ETS, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview with our research staff. The Interview will encompass these three topics: A) effective strategies and challenges in delivering Pre-ETS; B) equity in Pre-ETS provision; and C) delivering Pre-ETS to students who are “potentially eligible” for state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services.

This project seeks to understand the Pre-ETS program initiative across the country to help states understand key strategies to implementing Pre-ETS. The purpose of this research is to address the gaps in knowledge that exist related to VR’s promising outreach strategies and delivery of Pre-ETS to various eligible populations of students with disabilities across states. Additionally, we aim to understand what practices of Pre-ETS are most frequently adopted by states, how they are implemented, and what are indicators of their success as perceived by respondents.

The information we gather will be used to develop a report, which will contain a description of how Pre-ETS has been delivered in case study states, along with strategies and suggestions that can benefit Pre-ETS administration in other states. The report will be widely distributed to state agencies and policymakers and used to guide technical assistance.

Your participation is voluntary, and if you agree, you will participate in a 60 minute interview with our research staff between XXX date and XXX date. Your name and identity will not be disclosed in these materials, unless you give us express permission to do so. Your answers will be combined with that of other key informants interviewed in your state and will be reported in aggregate. The interview will take about 60 minutes by phone. With your permission the interviews will be recorded and then be transcribed with only a number attached as an identifier to the audio recording and transcription document to protect the privacy of your responses. In addition to an interview, we will request to collect and review relevant documents, such as reports, program descriptions, regulations and policies, training or instructional guides, vendor requirements, summaries of data on your Pre-ETS and your state VR agency.

Please respond to this email invitation to inform us if you would like to participate in this case study interview or if you prefer to decline participation. If we do not receive a response from you by XXX, one of our research staff members will follow up with an email or phone call to you.

Thank you in advance for your consideration to participate in our interview. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Marsha Ellison at Marsha.Ellison@umassmed.edu

Please refer to the attached fact sheet for more information.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marsha Ellison

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry

University of Massachusetts Medical School

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