Youth with disabilities face difficulties resulting from attitudinal, environmental, and organizational barriers not only in initially accessing and entering school (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011), but also as they transition from school age youth to working adults. With a focus on facilitating a better understanding of the issues,…

This research investigates the oft-criticised segment of the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia--private, for-profit registered training organisations (RTOs)--with the aim of gaining a clearer understanding of the approaches they adopt in training 15 to 19-year-olds who have left school early. Through a nationwide survey…

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) administers programs that assist in educating children and youth with disabilities and provides funding for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for youth and adults with disabilities. OSERS established the Transition Steering Committee to focus specifically on the services,…

This paper presents a case study in which the authors attempted to understand the impact, on student choice, of reforms in tertiary education in Australia, namely, a shift towards a demand-driven system and the blurring of the distinction between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. The authors compared the advanced…

National survey data were gathered from 1,450 school districts to determine the extent to which vocational and transition-oriented services were available to secondary-age special education students. Examined were types of disabilities served, number of students, local education agency service configurations, school resources, and external…

A 75-citation annotated bibliography on the secondary to postsecondary transition of learning-disabled (LD) students is preceded by a brief review of the literature addressing the following areas: secondary education and the LD adolescent; postsecondary services and the LD adult; vocational or job-related skill development; and transition issues…

Approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population is in rural areas and about 10 million students are enrolled in rural schools, comprising 12,000 of the 15,000 schools in the country. Although rural communities and their schools are quite diverse, certain characteristic economic, cultural, and social factors create large numbers of "at-risk"…

The purpose of this programming guide is to assist local and intermediate Michigan school districts in planning, developing, and implementing programs and services for secondary special education. The first chapter, "Delivery of Secondary Programs and Services," outlines the program's philosophy, effective program development, a program…

This guide reflects the theories developed by Project RESPECT during 3 years of planning, implementing, and evaluating eight transition programs in central Kentucky. Project RESPECT sought to address the problems of vocational training for mentally handicapped secondary students and the coordination of services between secondary education and…

The paper explores the involvement of three key professions (rehabilitation counseling, special education, and vocational special needs education) in providing transition services for employment preparation for people with disabilities. Recommendations for a three-level transdisciplinary approach to service delivery are presented. (JDD)

This article describes characteristics of adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, transition outcomes for these students, model transition programs, and key transition service delivery components, including: intake and functional skill assessment, personal future planning, wraparound social services, competitive employment, flexible…

The goal of Project VAST (Virginia's Approach to Services for Transitioning) is to develop, implement, and evaluate a model at both state and local levels which ensures that students with disabilities who move through Virginia's public school programs and into the community will receive transitional services focusing on career preparation,…

To coordinate the planning and delivery of transition services for disabled students in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS), TransCen, Inc., a private not-for-profit corporation, was developed. TransCen's efforts concentrate on four areas: coordination with MCPS, liaison with the business community, program enhancement and technical…

This manual has been prepared to orient school personnel in the development of programs for the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life so that they can fulfill their responsibilities in planning and providing services. The laws under which such services are required are reviewed, and the services and planning are…

Project MEAL (Model for Employment and Adult Living) provides a program for post-high-school preparation of unemployed learning-disabled young adults. Its strategies and interventions can be adopted for use with learning-disabled individuals still in school and with individuals having other handicapping conditions. The program's target population…