VOCATIONAL TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
What is VTAP?
The Vocational Transition Assistance Program is an evaluation, training, and employment program that helps to prepare students with disabilities for the transition into employment and optimum community participation as adults. Students are placed at a training site or paid job site for a portion of their school day for the opportunity to gain valuable employability skills.
Work-Based Learning
VTAP provides students with the opportunity to learn through work. Students also participate in classes where they learn appropriate work etiquette and ethical practices. Students are then applying these practices in real-life work environments while attending their VTAP placements. This prepares students to transition from school to the world of work as adults.
Teamwork
A Vocational Coordinator, licensed as a special educator, serves as the liaison between work, school, and the student. It is important to us that our student provides optimal work ethic to his/her/their employer, as well as receive a positive experience from the employer. We are dedicated to aiding the student and the employer through this process. We serve as a support system and resource to best meet all needs.
Program Goals
The goal of VTAP is to support a smooth transition from school to work, gain essential life skills and experiences, and develop vocational skills. Employability skills addressed within VTAP include:
- Cooperation
- Communication
- Initiative
- Work Habits
- Courtesy
- Adaptability
- Accepting Constructive Criticism
- Personal Appearance
- Knowledge of the Job
- Punctuality
- Accuracy/Quality of Work
- Attendance
What if my student isn't ready for a job site in the community?
The VTAP program also serves students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities who may not be ready for a job site out in the community just yet. The Vocational Training Center located at Eugene Field is designed to provide students with prevocational skills training in a safe and supportive environment until students are ready for the next step. The skills focused on aim to help students become more independent in their daily lives. This program is best suited for students who have deficits in one or more of the following areas: vocational, motor development, grooming, toileting, or language. The VTC is designed to reinforce skills taught in other settings and focuses on three main areas: Adaptive Living Skills, Therapeutic Interventions (recommended by OT/PT), and prevocational skills. Individualized goals are established through the IEP process to meet each student's wants and needs.
How the Vocational Training Center Began
VTAP was established in 2010 in honor of Dianne Marie Decker, who lived from 12/23/1959 to 11/5/2009. Dianne was the 2nd oldest daughter of Leonard and Peggy Decker. Before losing her battle to cancer, she greeted everyone with a firm handshake and a big smile. She especially loved Elvis Presley, puzzles, magazines, and music. Dianne inspired her sister Jane Collins (Decker) to become a Special Education Teacher. Dianne moved to Normal in 2006 with her mother, Peggy Decker, to live closer to Jane and her family. Dianne participated in the Developmental Training Program at the Occupational Developmental Center (ODC) and loved the time she spent with her new friends until the closing of ODC in 2009. The friends she met at ODC meant the world to Dianne and her family. ODC was the first program she actively participated in since graduating from Speed Development Center, Chicago Heights, at age 21. It is because of Dianne’s love for ODC and her love of watching her sister Jane teach that the Vocational Coordinators of Unit 5 opened the Unit 5 Vocational Training Center in 2010, named Decker Industries in honor of Dianne.