Employment is one of the biggest contributors to quality of life for people with disabilities--and that means well-planned work experiences should be an integral part of transition preparation for every secondary and postsecondary school aged youth. Make that happen with this practical guide, developed to help educators, transition specialists,…

Presents the Competitive Employment through Vocational Experiences (CETVE) model of transition from school to work for youth with mild disabilities. Discusses identification and screening of participants, placement in work experience, training, and follow-up. Also covers such issues as interagency cooperation, transportation, liability, and…

To make a smooth transition to a fulfilling, self-determined adult life, young people who use Augmentative-Alternative Communication (AAC) need effective services that meet their individual needs and make the most of advances in technology. Professionals will provide these critical supports with the help of this book, the first complete guide to…

This annotated bibliography is a reference to over 220 publications that deal with the concepts of transitional employment and supported work. All of the documents may be borrowed from the Materials Development Center of the University of Wisconsin. The documents are listed in alphabetical order by author or institutional author. Each entry…

This guide is intended to address the many roles and functions of job coaches in various employment settings. The guide was written to assist the following groups of service providers: (1) vocational rehabilitation personnel working in rehabilitation facilities, sheltered workshops, work activity centers, or other supported work-oriented programs;…

The Community-Based Services Work Adjustment Program provides vocational assessment, work adjustment training, social adjustment training, extended sheltered employment, transitional/supported employment, and competitive job training and placement through on-the-job training at natural community work sites. The program serves mentally retarded,…

The final report of the Transition from School to Work Project of Employment Opportunities, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, describes efforts to provide students with job experiences and leisure education. The project provided work experiences for 49 students, ages 17-22, with disabilities including autism, mental retardation (IQ range from less…

This proceedings document provides the texts of 13 presentations given at a 2-day conference in 1991 which focused on policies, materials, programs, and activities being implemented in Alabama to foster the successful transition of youth with disabilities to adult life. Two papers address the national scene: "Transition: Old Wine in New…

Secondary special education programs should include employment or postsecondary education placement outcomes in the curricula for mainstreamed mildly handicapped students. Program elements that support these goals are: individualized transition plans; paid work experience; job-seeking skills curriculum; flexible staffing patterns; active…

Special educators from rural and remote school districts in eastern Oregon surveyed local employers and designed a school-to-work site-based work-experience program for students with disabilities in an area with limited employment resources. Components of the six-year program (grades 7-12) and the outcome of enhancing associated work skills are…

The intent of this manual is to provide some templates and direction to schools that are looking for ideas of how to incorporate work experience into their curriculum for youth with disabilities. Hamilton Middle School served as a pilot site for one of the Rural Institute Transition Projects from 2006-2008. The school administration eagerly…

This self-instructional module, the fifteenth in a series of 16 on techniques for coordinating work experience programs, deals with support services. Addressed in the module are the importance of various support services for work experience programs; financial, placement, work adjustment, evaluation, and transition support services that are…

Although the disappointing results of earlier ex-offender programs convinced many that "nothing works so let's just keep prisoners incarcerated longer," research in the 1980s and 1990s has shown that intensive pre-release employment training and post-release employment programs and support can cut the rate of recidivism. Current initiatives…

Designed for practitioners, this book provides ideas and strategies for designing, developing, and implementing the Youth Transition Program (YTP) for students with disabilities and special needs in Oregon. Chapter 1 describes the following: background and need for collaborative school-to-work (STW) programs; STW program purposes and components,…

The study described in the first part of this two-part document identified the kind of ongoing support that would be most beneficial to all those concerned in the employment of young people with disabilities in England and Wales. Semistructured interviews were conducted with employers, representatives of preparation and placement agencies, and…