Students with significant disabilities typically experience poor postschool employment outcomes. However, when provided opportunities to work and engage within their communities, they can gain necessary work-specific and workplace social skills to improve outcomes. This article outlines a six-step model for community-based employment programs…

This book provides descriptions of youth involvement projects that have made significant contributions to young people, their schools, and their communities. Each description is intended to provide information for starting and operating similar youth projects. They explain how a particular project began, mention the important problems encountered,…

Discusses a study undertaken to evaluate the influence of two community learning programs on the adolescent participants. Topics discussed include differences in staff roles in the programs, program characteristics, learning outcomes, and participant attitudes. Findings indicated that, in general, youth liked the community programs and learned a…

The article describes a model career exploration program, the Professional Career Exploration Program for Minority and/or Low Income Gifted and Talented Students, which was created as a tenth-grade community exploration program. Sections address the multistage process used to identify disadvantaged gifted students, the inclass seminars for student…

This inventory contains summaries of current and completed activities sponsored or conducted by local collaborative councils through the Work-Education Consortium Project. The summaries are grouped into ten issue area/process categories: (1) engaging community resources for youth; (2) opportunities for work and service experience; (3) employment…

The study reports on a data-based work experience model for secondary students with autism. The objectives were to increase competency and independence, provide a variety of experiences to assess skills and preferences, and modify interfering behaviors. Five autistic students, aged 16-20, were sent to community work sites providing a variety of…

The site visit report describes the private, non-profit Community Work Services program located in Madison, Wisconsin, which provides community-based vocational services to adults (currently 33) with a wide range of developmental disabilities. The program philosophy is that all persons should have the option of working in individually arranged and…

This handbook provides guidance to schools operating Community-based Vocational Education (CBVE) programs for students with disabilities and encourages the adoption of CBVE programs by schools not presently using this approach. By following the information and examples contained in this handbook, schools can proceed with confidence to operate…

The Community Observation Project in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) has helped more than 100 secondary students with disabilities to learn prevocational skills and behaviors through observation and hands-on experience at 20 local businesses. Details of program implementation, including recordkeeping forms, are provided. (DB)

THIS STUDY PROVIDED INFORMATION ON PROCEDURES AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING LEARNING STATIONS TO PROVIDE THE MENTALLY RETARDED WITH WORK-EXPERIENCE ACTIVITIES. SUBJECTS WERE 14 STUDENTS, AGE RANGE 16.2 TO 19 YEARS, WITH IQ SCORES OF 50 TO 79. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FACILITIES WERE USED AS LEARNING STATIONS. THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN COURSE…

Age appropriate training programs in natural environments for deaf-blind adolescents help to develop functional skills, with the ultimate goal of independent living and work placement. Other approaches to the education of handicapped children entail activity for the sake of activity, or babysitting and fun activities. The actual training of a…

A community based (Conejo Valley, California) vocational program was designed to give handicapped junior and senior high school students a variety of real world experiences in the natural setting. Advantages of the community based approach include immediate transfer of learning, opportunities for generalization, provision of role models by other…

This study assessed the effects of a Brevard County (Florida) high school-based vocational training and community-based on-the-job training program called Brevard's Exceptional Students in Transition (BEST). Results indicated positive improvements in vocational skills and behaviors of participants in the BEST program. (JDD)