Background: The transition from school to adult life is challenging for young people with intellectual disability. The study aimed to explore how young people with intellectual disability themselves experience the transition from school to adult life. Methods: A co-designed, qualitative study. Thematic data analysis of qualitative survey…

The number of children being identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been increasing, and with this increase, the number of adolescents needing post-secondary transition services has increased. Many adolescents with ASD have needs related to employment, and educators are in need of effective employment related interventions for…

Purpose: Research documents poor outcomes for autistic adults in the domains of employment, independent living, and social relationships. Measurement and sample limitations in prior studies may have amplified past estimates of poor outcomes. The goal of the current study was to improve upon past approaches and to create and describe a measurement…

This paper presents the findings of a Consensual Qualitative Research partial program evaluation of the effectiveness of a secondary transition-to-work training program in a Southeastern public school system. Current literature regarding the history of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, barriers they have faced to…

This research identifies the soft (employability) skills that key stakeholders view as essential for young people with intellectual disability (ID) to gain and maintain open employment. The study subsequently examined the work experience opportunities for young people with ID to develop these soft skills during their school years. Qualitative data…

This qualitative descriptive study focused on how high school special education teachers describe the influence of color-blindness ideology on transition plans for Black students with an intellectual disability into the workforce. Transition plans are required for all students that receive special education services at the age of 14 or 16…

Given the continuing poor post-school outcomes for students with ASD, combined with the limited number of current interventions to address the problem, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services'(OSERS) charged the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) with identifying and…

The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition's (NTACT) Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Toolkit was developed in accordance with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as amended by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as a…

Despite existing legislation and provision of post-secondary transition plans to bridge the gap between secondary school and the workplace for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), workplace sites in rural central Ohio have continued to have a hiring rate of individuals with ID that is lower than the national average. The focal point of…

This study investigated students with disabilities transition after high school. It examined the student's involvement with their Individual Education Plan, teacher's perception on literacy instruction and the number of special education student who become employed in the community after high school. This study utilized mixed methods that included…

Strong collaborative partnerships between families, schools, and communities are essential to promote successful postgraduation outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and are a key feature of a new Transition Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (TPIE) framework. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the…

With increased emphasis on improved postsecondary outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities, it is critical to extend effective practices identified through rigorous research to the practitioner level. Recent policies and initiatives can feel overwhelming to school staff (i.e., ESSA, IDEA, CCSS), thus there is a need for a…

While assessments of general social proficiency constructs are numerous in the ASD literature, and in the special education literature more broadly, investigations of the latent structure(s) of "vocational-specific" social proficiency constructs have yet to receive serious empirical investigation. Furthermore, trends in this literature…

The literature review in this doctoral project addresses secondary school transition. The definition of secondary school transition is defined, and the literature review goes over the disproportionate outcomes in post-secondary education and employment when special education students and general education students are compared. Current research is…

Deaf and hard of hearing students at Rocky Mountain High School (RMHS), a public school in Meridian, Idaho--and other deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the state, needed skills for the workplace. The demand was critical, and administrators knew change was needed. Co-authors Janna Dunagan, who teaches deaf and hard of hearing students,…