Our Focus

We are committed to help students broaden their experiences by providing multiple opportunities for students to learn.

Programming Designed to Develop Skills

Events

We offer annual events, such as Job-A-Palooza, where businesses showcase specific jobs and tasks that are offered at their job site, discuss positions that can be modified for people with disabilities, and provide a space for students to ask questions. In addition to the events we offer, we provide our students with opportunities to participate in other local events, such as job fairs and volunteer opportunities, where they can practice the skills they are learning.

Classes/Groups

Weekly, students have the opportunity to attend groups that are centered on common areas of interest to our clients. They learn about new technology, cooking skills, and more. We have opportunities for guest speakers tp talk about their career journey and jobs similar to their field so students can learn the training necessary to enter into that specific field. More information about our current classes can be found on the home page.

One-On-One

Students also have the option of meeting with Pre-ETS instructors individually to research careers specific to their interests, work on individual goals, and research educational opportunities beyond high school. These meetings can take place in the student's school, at Milestones, or out in the community, depending on what the student is working on with their Pre-ETS instructor.

SSAMC (Student Self Advocates of Monroe County)

The Student Self-Advocates of Monroe County is the first student led group in the national Self Advocates organization. The students have won awards; most recently, the About Special Kids award (ASK). The students have had the honor of speaking at conferences and have planned events in the community.

During Student Self-Advocates meetings, students can:

hear from guest speakers to learn about programs and resources available to them for people with disabilities
analyze scenarios to determine if a person should disclose their disability or not
learn what accommodations are, and when and how to request them
research different disabilities to gain a better understanding of others' needs and their own
have the opportunity to hold leadership positions and take initiatives in their roles in the group

Student Self-Advocates meets every Wednesday from 3:30pm-5pm. If you are enrolled in Pre-ETS and interested in joining Student Self-Advocates, please check out the home page for the sign-up link.

More on Work Experiences

Trying out the Job

Students have the opportunity to try specific jobs out in a real setting; at the job site. Pre-ETS will help students navigate the process of applying for jobs, talking with employers, and setting up work experiences. Pre-ETS has the ability to set up paychecks for the student through Stone Belt to help the student understand the value of the work that they do during their work experience. All of this is done without liability for the company, and without the business having to pay the student; unless hired at the end of the work experience.

After the work experience, students will assess their experience at the job site and determine if that career is a good fit for them. If they so choose, they can do as many work experiences in different careers as they would like. The point of the work experiences is to help students explore job settings and learn how their specific skill sets will benefit them in different careers.

As a result of the work experiences, students often get hired at the place they completed the work experience if the student likes the job and the employer sees that they are a good fit. Even if not hired on, due to lack of interest or due to a lack of skills, students use the experience to build their resume and community contacts to help them get a job down the road.

Disclaimer: Pre-ETS is not a job placement service, meaning we do not do job coaching in order to get jobs, nor do we coach students on maintaining employment once they get a job. However, the skills we help students develop will help them obtain employment and often helps them maintain employment. Pre-ETS can also assist students with referrals to Vocational Rehabilitation, which provides job placement and job coaching services to eligible individuals. Contact your Pre-ETS instructor or menoe@stonebelt.org for more information.

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