Transition-age youth with autism (TAY-ASD) experience poor employment outcomes and gaps in services that could assist them in securing jobs. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is a source of public assistance for people with disabilities seeking employment and TAY-ASD are a growing segment of VR service users. Postsecondary education (PSE) is…

When youth experience psychosocial difficulties, multiple sectors of care may intervene. The present study examined the prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of multisector involvement related to psychosocial difficulties among adolescents with disabilities. Using a nationally representative sample of 9,230 students who participated in the…

This manual was designed primarily for use by people with disabilities. The hope is that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with disabilities. The focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read information about available resources, and to provide immediate…

Purpose: The purposes of this study were first to identify and describe transition to adulthood pathways of youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) in regards to the timing and order of transition to adulthood task completion (e.g. completing education, gaining employment, living independently, marrying/close personal relationship, and…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read…

This toolkit was created to make transition planning easier and offers easy-to-understand information about the purpose of transition planning, the goal and importance of age-appropriate assessments, and the required rules that are used by schools. It also includes information on the community partners that can provide youth with supports as…

Access to effective and comprehensive transition programming is pivotal to transition of youth with disabilities to work and independent living. Successful programs often blend key ingredients, including individualized educational planning, career development, work experiences in secondary school, and interagency partnerships/collaborations.…

After decades, the concept of "how to change the status quo of deaf education" continues to dazzle and frustrate us intellectually and academically. We want deaf and hard of hearing students to achieve academically and to thrive in the world as adults. Yet, too often, test scores and post-school outcomes remain unacceptably low. Our…

Concerned that their special education students were not being adequately prepared for the post-high school world, a rural Arkansas school district made a concerted effort to provide a systematic transition program in which opportunities for life after graduation could become a meaningful reality. A significant component of the transition program…

The transition to adulthood can be difficult for youth, particularly those who have disabilities severe enough that they receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (DI), or other disability program benefits. Besides the issues facing all transition-age youth, young people with disabilities face a host of…

Australian research has demonstrated that students with a disability are more likely to remain out of the full-time workforce. These research findings have been the catalyst for a call for a comprehensive career development and transition planning approach for all students with disabilities in schools as well as for employers to rethink the role…

Professionals who work with young adults will get hard-to-find information on how specific social, behavioral, and cognitive characteristics of people with autism affect the transition to adulthood, exploring potential challenges and traits that can be powerful assets. Compelling stories throughout this book illustrate how successful transition…

A Delphi panel of 76 education, corrections, and social services professionals elicited the most effective transition services and strategies for adjudicated youth with disabilities. High-priority areas include family involvement, social/living skills, interagency collaboration, basic academic skills, evaluation, formal plan, community support,…

"Work incentives" encourage and support individuals with disabilities in their efforts to seek employment and have been formalized in federal legislation and regulations, including the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA). In October 2000, Utah received a 4-year federal grant to change the state's systems of work…

Helping regular education students transition from high school to the post-secondary world can be a daunting task. Assisting students with special needs do this can be quite intimidating. According to the Harris Poll 2000, 20% of the general population was unemployed, while 71% of adults with disabilities were unemployed (Miller, Lombard, &…