Rural communities have strengths and weaknesses that affect the development of transitional programs for students with disabilities. These community characteristics were factored into a federally funded, graduate-level training program called Project CREST (Collaboration in Rural Education for Special Teachers), which provided training stipends for certified special education teachers. Project CREST participants taught rural students with disabilities for 1 year and completed a field-based master's degree program in three semesters. Coursework and practicum experiences included a focus on concepts and competencies related to community-based training for transition, construction of a local support system, and development of vocational training sequences based on local community needs. The 10 participants were challenged to apply these competencies to constructing transitional experiences for rural students in an impoverished four-county region of southern Ohio. The four counties (Lawrence, Pike, Ross, and Scioto) had high unemployment rates and primarily retail and service-sector job opportunities. Project participants were prompted to engage parents, agencies, and community businesses in planning and implementing transition activities. Further, one training module focused on infusing eight categories of employability skills training into classroom activities. This infusion of an employability curriculum into daily instruction plus development of community-based training sites led to more varied transitional training options, improved student motivation, and opportunity for development of entrepreneurial skills among students with disabilities. (SV)