From Possibility to Pathway: Building Futures Through Pre-ETS
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This episode of Blind Abilities explores Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) offered by State Services for the Blind in Minnesota, highlighting how these programs empower students who are blind, deafblind, or low vision to build confidence, independence, and career readiness. Through real-world experiences like canoe trips, snowshoeing at Fort Snelling, and the Summer Transition Program (STP), students gain critical life skills, expand their horizons, and challenge assumptions about what they can achieve. The episode emphasizes transformative moments—such as meeting blind professionals in various careers, learning accessible technology, and developing self-advocacy skills—that help students envision a future beyond limitations. Personal stories from participants reveal how these programs shift mindsets, foster resilience, and open doors to college, employment, and lifelong success.
Pre-ETS programs in Minnesota offer hands-on, real-world experiences that build independence, confidence, and career readiness for blind and low vision students.
Exposure to blind professionals in diverse fields helps students envision careers they once thought impossible.
Self-advocacy—knowing how to request accommodations and communicate needs—is a foundational skill developed through these programs.
Outdoor adventures and technology training are not just fun—they build problem-solving, teamwork, and mobility skills essential for life and work.
Students benefit from mentorship, career fairs, and support with college applications and transitions, creating a clear pathway from possibility to action.
The Future Is Bigger Than You Think
“What if the future you're imagining is actually much bigger than you think?”
Pre-ETS: Building Skills Through Real Experience
The episode introduces Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), explaining how they help students build independence, explore careers, and develop essential life skills through classroom learning and immersive outdoor experiences.
Adventures That Build Confidence
“These experiences may seem simple but they build something powerful. Confidence, problem solving, teamwork and the understanding that new environments aren't barriers. They're opportunities.”
Career Exploration and Mentorship
The episode highlights career fairs, interactions with blind professionals, and programs like LEAP that help students explore industries, understand workplace expectations, and envision their future careers.
Self-Advocacy and Lifelong Success
“Knowing how to explain the tools you use. Knowing how to request accommodations. Knowing how to speak up for what you need to succeed.”
“The future isn't something that just happens. It's something you build. One experience, one skill, one opportunity at a time.”
“When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations and the realities of blind abilities.”
“These experiences may seem simple but they build something powerful. Confidence, problem solving, teamwork and the understanding that new environments aren't barriers. They're opportunities.”
Host
Jeff Thompson
person
State Services for the Blind
organization
Minnesota
place
Summer Transition Program
other
LEAP
other
Wilderness Inquiry
organization
Fort Snelling
place
Shane Desantis
person
News for Teens
other
State Academy for the Blind
organization
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