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Strategic Partners
The agency’s federal oversight partner for the VR, ILOB and BEP programs is the Rehabilitation Services Administration housed in the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation.
DSB is one of the “core partners” named in the four titles of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The agency takes active leadership in developing and revising the Washington State WIOA Plan, as well as the Workforce Development Strategic Plan. We collaborate closely with all of the WIOA partners to increase successful outcomes for individuals with barriers to employment throughout the state.
The broad group of WIOA partners includes:
- The twelve regional Workforce Development Councils across the state
- One-stop WorkSource Centers across the state (including community service providers)
- Employment Security Department (Wagner-Peyser, Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker programs)
- Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and DSHS (TANF and BFET)
- Community and Technical Colleges (Adult and Family Literacy)
- The State Workforce and Education Board
Other key partners include:
- Native American Tribes and Tribal VR programs
- Consumer organizations for the blind, such as the National Federation of the Blind-Washington and the Washington Council of the Blind
- Business associations and Chamber of Commerce organizations
- Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
- K-12 schools and Transition programs statewide
- Washington State School for the Blind
- Institutions of Higher Education and technical training
- Washington State Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
- Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs)
- Pacific Northwest Association of Educators in Rehabilitation for Blind and Visually Impaired (PNWAER)
- Washington Talking Book and Braille Library
- The Lighthouse for the Blind
- University of Washington
- Local vendors and service providers across the state
Transition Point of Contact
Michael MacKillop, Acting Executive Director
michael.mackillop@dsb.wa.gov
206-906-5520