AVI Human Services Announces 2026 Transition Impact Award Winners

Annual awards recognize organizations and state programs demonstrating measurable student growth through Pre-Employment Transition Services.

LOGAN, UT, UNITED STATES, August 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — AVI Human Services is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Transition Impact Awards, recognizing organizations and state programs demonstrating measurable impact in their work with students receiving Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS).

Now in their second year, the Transition Impact Awards use data from the Transition Readiness Toolkit to recognize the progress students are making and the organizations helping make that growth possible.

The 2026 awards recognize achievement across nine transition service areas and three provider award categories: Most Transformative Provider, Uplift Award, and Fast & Effective Award. States were also recognized as Top Performing States based on student growth within each service area.

“This is one of our favorite opportunities to step back and celebrate what the data represents,” said Brian Phillips, Ph.D., CRC, co-founder of AVI Human Services. “Behind every score is a student building skills for life after high school and a team helping them get there. These awards give us an opportunity to recognize that work.”

2026 Top Performing States

Six states earned Top Performing State recognition this year, with Utah and Colorado leading the rankings across multiple service areas.

Utah placed in all nine service areas, earning seven first-place rankings, one second-place ranking, and one third-place ranking.

Colorado earned recognition in seven service areas, including first place in Instruction in Self-Advocacy and six second-place finishes.

Additional Top Performing State honors went to:

• Michigan — 1st Place in Communication and Social Skills
• Montana — four 3rd Place recognitions
• North Carolina — two 3rd Place recognitions
• Oklahoma — two 2nd Place and two 3rd Place recognitions

Recognizing Different Types of Impact

The Transition Impact Awards are designed to recognize more than one pathway to student success.

The Most Transformative Provider awards recognize organizations demonstrating the greatest average student growth within each service area.

The Uplift Awards recognize strong outcomes among students who began services with the greatest opportunity for growth.

The Fast & Effective Awards recognize organizations achieving above-average student growth within shorter-than-average service durations.

Together, these categories highlight organizations working with different students, service models, and starting points while maintaining a common focus on measurable progress.

Celebrating the Work Behind the Data

AVI Human Services is also inviting this year’s award recipients to share the practices and stories behind their results. Winning organizations may submit successful service strategies, innovative approaches, or student success stories for opportunities to be featured across AVI Human Services’ website, social media, and newsletters.

The complete list of 2026 Transition Impact Award recipients, including winners by award category and service area, is available at:

https://www.avihumanservices.org/2026-transition-impact-awards/

About the Transition Readiness Toolkit

The Transition Readiness Toolkit helps Pre-ETS programs capture student progress across transition-related service areas and use that information to better understand outcomes, identify opportunities for growth, and demonstrate the impact of services.

SherRon Marcek
AVI Human Services
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