The focus of the September 2025 monthly report is DSB's Pre-Employment Services (Pre-ETS). The program has been busy with career exploration activities offered to students who are blind, low vision and deaf-blind ages 14-22. DSB has provided pre-employment transition services to 240 students so far this year.
Voices From the Students
We gathered reactions from students who have participated in recent DSB Pre-ETS programs.
Sophia and Judah answer questions about their YES1 experience via video: "What did you learn about looking for work?" and "What skills are you taking with you from YES1?"
Gideon describes his YES2 experience encountering - and overcoming - each new obstacle that arose living away from home and having new responsibilities in preparing for work and managing home chores. See his essay Thrown into a river with Crocodiles and you still have to swim…That’s YES2
Another student documents their paid work experience at the Thompson Seattle Hotel
Stronger Together Conference
In May, the Pre-ETS team hosted their second annual Stronger Together Conference in Vancouver, WA, bringing together 120 attendees including youth, families, vision professionals, and community organizations supporting blind, deaf-blind, and low vision individuals. Thirteen organizations participated, addressing the challenge of transition support services which are often siloed and unknown to those who need them.
The three-day event featured diverse programming including home accessibility workshops, kitchen participation activities, technology exploration, career pathway development, and adaptive sports. Youth mentors helped create the agenda, and both youth and their families participated in discussion panels covering Individual Education Plans (IEPs), parenting, higher education transitions, and job industries. An exhibitor marketplace showcased resources from Microsoft, assistive technology centers, and advocacy organizations.
Attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with parents feeling less isolated, siblings celebrating newfound possibilities for their family members, and vision professionals gaining valuable insights to share with their clients and colleagues.
Youth Employment Solutions 1 (YES1)
YES1 is a two-week program for students ages 14 - 16, offering the opportunity to explore their interests and aptitudes, discover different careers possibilities, and visit work sites.
During this summer's YES1 program, fourteen students received career exploration activities for jobs such as barista and screen printing. The program is available for students who reside in Washington or Oregon.
Students learned practical skills for careers and independent living. A key component of this instruction is self-advocacy, where students are taught how to request accommodations. This empowerment-focused training allows students to thrive and show their capabilities to the wider community.
Read full article published in The Columbian
Youth Employment Solutions 2 (YES2)
The YES2 program served 27 students this summer, focusing on building confidence and preparing them for the world of work. The program operated through four main areas: work experience, independent living skills, interpersonal activities, and durable skills development.
Students began with orientation and relationship-building activities before starting the work placements in week two. They went to a variety of job sites that included: Papa Murphy's, Solid Ground, Fiddleheads Preschool, Woodland Park Zoo, Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP), Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Library Equal Access Program (LEAP), and others.
When the Zoo could only offer observation instead of a full internship due to funding, DSB staff created some additional meaningful alternatives including conducting accessibility assessments throughout the city and informational interviews with blind professionals.
Key activities included a camping trip to practice outdoor navigation and meal preparation, student-planned social outings including a self-organized prom, and specialized workshops.
Staff from Cyborg Mobile, a local tech development consultant, presented a three-part workshop with sessions focused on building confidence and resilience, and the importance of clear communication.
Students had a training series from local benefits planner Achieving Access on working while receiving SSI benefits.
A self-advocacy weekend featured sightless self-defense training with the Anacortes Soo Bahk Do studio, and defensive passenger driving education where students explored a variety of types of cars and learned ways to be helpful to the driver and a better pedestrian.
In conversation with DSB staff, one mother expressed the YES2 program was the best thing that had happened to her daughter in the five years since her daughter experienced her visual loss, helping her discover her abilities and future potential. The program concluded with a celebration attended by employers, families, and friends.
Prepare for New School Year
Over the summer, the Pre-ETS team worked to prepare for the upcoming academic year for the Living Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program located on the Washington State School for the Blind campus.
The LIFTT program is designed for students to continue to build their transition skills after they have graduated high school in a structured residential setting to practice their transition skills and prepare for college or their career
Prior to each academic year, DSB staff determine what types of support our Pre-ETS team can offer students and staff at the school both in the classroom with additional Pre-ETS instruction and out in the community to develop work-based learning sites.
DSB staff across the state are working with school districts to ensure that students are receiving Pre-ETS career exploration services. Staff develop regional and statewide workshops for students and families to attend, expanding the transition services available at the student's school.
Partnering
DSB engages with both the Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) and the National Federation of the Blind - Washington (NFBW) consumer organizations to ensure that blind youth and their families get connected to the network of community supports available.
Partnering Across State Borders
DSB entered into an agreement with the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) to allow their Pre-ETS-eligible customers to attend programming in the state of Washington when space is available. This is a valuable partnership for our region and a way to expand the reach of our life-changing programs and the students' circle of peers. We hosted our first students from Oregon at the YES1 program this summer and will be welcoming more Oregon students to attend the LIFTT and 3T Academy program starting in September.