This paper was written in 2018 by NCWD/Youth [National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth] to inform the development of the Guideposts for Success 2.0, an update to the original Guideposts for Success published in 2005. Since it was created in 2005, the Guideposts for Success has become nationally recognized as a valuable…

Summer provides valuable but often untapped opportunities for youth to explore or deepen their interests, preferences, and strengths; accrue valuable work-related skills and experiences; and establish connections to their communities. At the same time, it is clear that summer opportunities do not happen automatically for many youth with…

The Training Opportunities Program (TOP), a work experience and training program for New York City high school students, is designed to place students, as trainees, in agencies and businesses with equipment, facilities, and human resources not available in the public schools. In 1983-84, the third year of the program's operation, TOP was funded to…

The author discusses means to promote success in the school-to-work transition of disabled students, noting the importance of written transition plans, curriculum collaboration, work experiences, and followup studies. (CL)

Class schedules of 458 handicapped students attending 11 comprehensive high schools in eight school districts were reviewed to examine patterns of enrollment of handicapped students at the secondary level. Academic, nonacademic, vocational, and extracurricular involvement were noted, as well as degree of integration experience by students. Among…

This booklet summarizes three forums on current issues related to the use of technology for youth with disabilities. Forum 1, "Accessing the General Curriculum: Promoting a Universal Design for Learning" (November 3, 2001), featured David Rose and Chuck Hitchcock examining how universal design, recent neuro-scientific research, and…

The Special Education Vocational Education Program (SEVEP) is a program implemented by the Tucson Unified School District to bring area high school students with special needs together with cooperating employers. Eligible students are identified and pre-assessed regarding individual aptitudes, interests and needs. General instruction may include…

This guide offers suggestions to parents and mentors of high school students with disabilities for providing these students with direction in their exploration of interests, careers, and college planning. Discussion of some employment issues notes the increasing numbers of postsecondary students with disabilities, remaining barriers to employment,…

The booklet describes the Maine Medical Center's Summer Youth Employment Training Program conducted in 1986, 1987, and 1988 providing disabled high school students with work experience under close supervision. The first section describes program benefits and the incorporation of the program within the Hospital Industries program which screens,…

The guide, developed by the Secondary Transition and Employment Project (STEP) in Idaho, is intended to provide students with mild, moderate, or severe handicaps with hands-on community work experience in order to determine vocational preferences and to provide instruction in work-related skills, functional academics, and job-seeking skills. Work…

A multicomponent treatment package consisting of role playing, graphic feedback, contingent reinforcement, and self-monitoring increased the rate of positive statements among four handicapped high school youth during a social/leisure activity at a work training setting. There was no evidence of generalization to other activities. (Author/DB)

Describes the Work Experience Study Program in Adams County, Colorado, where special education high school students provide enthusiastic and willing assistance in Head Start classrooms and, in return, learn new skills and career possibilities. (BB)

Project CAST serves educationally handicapped students, ages 14-21, who are receiving special education services for more than half of their school day. The program focuses upon the students' development of skills necessary to foster independent living, wise career decision-making, and successful entry into the world of work. The model uses a…

This guide offers suggestions to high school students with and without disabilities as they begin to prepare for careers. It focuses on the variety of work-based learning experience available. These include informational interviews with people working in fields of interest; job shadowing in an occupational area of interest; service learning in…

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…