Prisons and jails in the United States currently hold over 2 million inmates and the majority of them will eventually be released, often with bleak prospects for gainful employment. Unemployment for this population has been linked to recidivism. The purpose of this bounded case study was to explore and describe the post transitional jobs…

This report examines the status of coordination at State and local levels between the activities funded by the Service Delivery Areas and other employment and training programs on the one hand, and between these programs and private sector employers on the other. The status of coordination in Fiscal 1983, the last year of the Comprehensive…

The Job Training Partnership Act, which provides money to programs preparing disadvantaged (including disabled) individuals for entry into the labor force, has helped special education students in such programs as the Special Education Local Plan Areas Job Project and the Day Training Activity Center at the Las Trampas School, Inc. in Lafayette,…

This catalog describes 22 programs selected as exemplary by the Regional Rehabilitation Exchange (RRX) project, in the areas of supported employment, job placement services, school-to-adult life transition, and independent living services. The programs are located in federally designated Region VI, consisting of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,…

As part of a series of topic papers assessing federal laws and programs affecting persons with disabilities, this paper focuses on employment programs and initiatives. Described are (1) the transition model of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which emphasizes a solid educational foundation and adequate…

This article describes a comprehensive transition program for students with mild disabilities. The program revolves around a classroom-based employability skills curriculum taught over a semester's duration. Four program components are addressed: employability skills training, family involvement, adult agency referral, and on-the-job support. (CR)

The Vocational Education to Work model is a system of communication and support between vocational and special educators, designed to train students with disabilities in mainstreamed vocational education. The model's four sequential components include active recruitment, guided placement, continuing support, and job placement followup.…

This study examined the relationship between years of teaching experience and teacher specialty area in terms of formulation of vocational objectives in transition planning. Descriptive and inferential data were gathered from 43 secondary special education teachers concerning 393 student transition plans. Results indicated that teaching experience…

The Employment Retention Program is a supported employment program involved in job placement and intensive worksite training of graduating handicapped youth, emphasizing retention strategies that transfer supervision to nonhandicapped co-workers and that promote social interactions between handicapped employees and co-workers. At followup, 60…

The Services for Transition to Independence through Education (STRIDE) project evaluated a model for providing comprehensive training and employment services to adults with mild handicaps, using existing vocational education classes and special needs support programs in a secondary vocational technical school in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Services…

The Dispersed Heterogeneous Placement (DHP) supported employment project involved dispersal of three to five consumers across several departments/areas in a larger business or across several businesses in close proximity. The individuals placed had a wide range of talents and disability severity levels. Typically, a four-person site might have one…

Evidence from the past 4 years confirms that private sector jobs are the best and first resort for welfare recipients seeking to enter the workforce and that the private sector can well absorb the entry of these new workers. The model of wage-based transitional employment may be a more effective means of helping hard-to-employ welfare recipients…

This document profiles the job placement program for ex-offenders that the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) in New York City has implemented successfully since 1992. The document begins by describing the program's main components, which are as follows: (1) a 1-day recruitment and orientation program; (2) a 4-day life skills course; (3) an…

This report examines the disability community's efforts to help individuals who have significant disabilities access and maintain employment. It identifies how welfare agencies can learn from and build upon lessons from the disability community. Chapter 1 describes the hard-to-employ (HTE) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) population…

This document, which was developed through a decade of research and field testing involving more than 700 people, offers step-by-step strategies that educators, employment specialists, occupational therapists, and other professionals can use to help youths and adults with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities make their own employment choices.…