Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vocational Rehabilitation Youth Technical Assistance Center (Y-TAC)?

The purpose of the Vocational Rehabilitation Youth Technical Assistance Center (Y-TAC) “is to provide TA to State VR agencies to improve services to and outcomes of: (1) students with disabilities, as defined in section 7(37) of the Rehabilitation Act, who are in school and who are not receiving services under the IDEA; and (2) youth with disabilities, as defined in section 7(42) of the Rehabilitation Act, who are no longer in school and who are not employed, including dropouts.”

Who are opportunity youth?

Youth ages 16-24 who are out-of-work and out-of-school. About one in seven young people between the ages of 16-24 are either not in school or not working. These individuals are known as Opportunity Youth.

Who can receive Y-TAC services?

State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. Additionally, each TAC focuses its efforts on a specific set of topics designed to provide universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance (TA) for the purpose of improving services to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence and integration into the community and the competitive labor market.

What are universal, targeted and intensive technical assistance?

Universal Technical Assistance is information provided to independent users through their own initiative, resulting in minimal interaction with TAC staff and including one–time, invited or offered conference presentations by TAC staff. This category of TA also includes information or products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded from the TAC’s website by independent users. Brief communications by TA center staff with recipients, either by telephone or email, are also considered universal, general training and TA.

Targeted Technical Assistance is based on needs common to multiple recipients and not extensively individualized. A relationship is established between the TA recipient and one or more TAC staff. This category of TA includes one–time, labor–intensive events, such as facilitating strategic planning or hosting regional or national conferences. It can also include episodic, less labor–intensive events that extend over a period of time, such as facilitating a series of conference calls on single or multiple topics that are designed around the needs of the recipients. Facilitating communities of practice can also be considered targeted, specialized TA.

Intensive Technical Assistance includes services often provided on–site and requiring a stable, ongoing relationship between the TAC program staff and the TA recipient. “Technical assistance services” are defined as negotiated series of activities designed to reach a valued outcome. Intensive TA is provided to TA recipients upon their request and in accordance with a plan developed between the TAC and the TA recipient. This category of TA should result in changes to policy, program, practice, or operations that support increased recipient capacity of improved outcomes at one or more systems levels.

Does the Y-TAC have a menu of services it can offer to state VR agencies?

Is there a cost to receive Y-TAC services?

Who are the Y-TAC team?

Does the Y-TAC offer training assessments to determine an agency’s ability to serve youth?

Yes. State VR agencies who want to improve their services to youth can contact the Y-TAC about conducting a training assessment to determine what skills staff possess and where there are areas of need.