Transition from High School to Work: Issues, Needs, Supports and Successes
The Transition team, particularly the family of youth with developmental disabilities, is confronted with a complex maze when trying to move from school to adult life. Consider this illustration from the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities:
The employment outcome for people with disabilities is a serious issue. Consider these statistics from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability:
- One-third of students with disabilities do not finish high school
- Only one-third of young people with disabilities who need job training receive it.
- People with disabilities enroll in post-secondary education at half the rate of the general population.
- Only 26% of working age adults with disabilities have a job or own their own business.
The contributing factors to employment declines for individuals with disabilities include:
- Transition services are too slow and fail to achieve minimal levels of compliance.
- Vocation assessments for people with disabilities are underdeveloped.
- Individual Education Plans (IEP's) have unclear need statements.
- Limited access to vocational training which would lead to employment.
- Failure to establish collaborative, trusting, empowering relationships between family and other transition team members, such as teachers, OVR counselors, and supports coordinators.
Guiding Principles for Effective Transition Employment Programs Include:
- Access to vocational assessment and high quality standards-based education.
- Transition plans that are individualized and supported by parents, school and agency personnel.
- Cross-agency partnerships in Workforce Development One-Stop's (eg., CareerLink offices) that result in effective educational outreach to employers regarding the hiring of people with disabilities.
- Special education training for teaching staff working in local Career and Technical Centers.
- Greater responsibility and accountability by high schools in ensuring placement for students with disabilities at age 18 (employment or postsecondary training).
- Training of managers in employment settings on creating a supportive environment for people with disabilities
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