DisabilityInfo.gov: Employment: School to Work

Fact sheet for service providers on working with young people on disclosure issues.

Information on the AAAS ENTRY POINT! internship program, which was developed to encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics students with disabilities to apply their skills in a real-world professional setting.

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Links to information and resources on career planning for students.

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A guide on best practices and programs for mentoring young people with disabilities, as well as information on how mentoring programs can benefit youth with disabilities.

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Explore career options and learn about high growth jobs with better wages and a brighter future.

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Fact sheet that explains the importance of career-focused mentoring. Includes examples of mentoring activities that assist youth in achieving skills to transition successfully into adulthood.

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Electronic mentoring program designed to promote successful transition of youth with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) to adult life.

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Information from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) on Disability Mentoring Day, a nationwide effort held every year in October to promote career development for students with disabilities through hands-on career exploration.

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A fact sheet for youth service providers about the benefits of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education. It contains a number of resources on making entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education programs inclusive of youth with disabilities.

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A fact sheet that provides information on disclosure, accommodations and examples of reasonable accommodations for youth with mental health needs entering the workforce.

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Explore Your Future is a week-long summer career exploration program held at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for deaf and hard-of-hearing high school sophomores and juniors.

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Contains a career planning guide for multiple audiences within the workforce development system with information on selecting career-related assessments, determining when to refer youth for additional assessment and additional issues.

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Publication designed to help youth with disabilities through the process of transitioning from school to higher education or the workforce.

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This project is designed to to assist young people with disabilities and chronic illness in the Washington metropolitan area and beyond to move from school to adulthood to the world of work.

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Information on a federally funded initiative for youth with special health care needs which helps them transition from pediatric to adult health care and to work and independence.

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Provides opportunity for students with disabilities to explore exciting careers in science, mathematics and technology.

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The primary objectives of this Guide are to promote program improvement and expansion for existing HS/HT programs; to help programs establish the state infrastructure to support HS/HT; and to both encourage and assist in the creation of new HS/HT programs. The complete guide is now available to download on ODEP's Web site in .pdf and Word formats under "Other Publications".

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Training manual for the High School/High Tech program, which provides careers in technology for youth with disabilities. Document is in .pdf format.

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Information about One-Stop Centers, which provide resources to assist with employment, and how they can help youth enter the workforce.

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Report detailing Youth Transition Process Demonstration Innovations that improve employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.

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Information and resources supporting successful transition for people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities).

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Comprehensive list of resources relating to the education of people with disabilities, including fact sheets on accomodating students with vision impairments and other disabilities.

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Established in 1989 by the family of J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott with a mission to enhance employment opportunity for young people with disabilities. To help close this gap, the Foundation developed Bridges...from school to work, a program that matches the interests and abilities of young people with the workforce needs of employers, creating and supporting strong employment relationships that work to the benefit of all.

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Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor provides information on the importance of mentoring for youth with disabilities.

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A curriculum designed to motivate and guide students with disabilities and their families as they begin early transition planning for life after high school.

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NASET is a national voluntary coalition of more than 40 organizations and advocacy groups representing special education, general education, career and technical education, youth development, multicultural perspectives and parents.

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Seeks to increase the capacity of national, state and local agencies and organizations to improve secondary education and transition results for youth with disabilities and their families.

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Through the Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA) initiative, NCWD/Youth has identified key competencies that youth service practitioners, policymakers, organizations and individuals can use to improve program quality and youth outcomes. Youth service practitioners with the necessary KSAs can provide all youth with a wider variety of opportunities, resources, and services to make a positive transition to adulthood and the world of work.

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Provides resources that serve youth with disabilities transitioning into the workforce, including materials for workforce development professionals, the disability community, employers and policy makers.

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Online database of promising programs and practices in the workforce development system that effectively addresses the needs of youth with disabilities.

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These documents offer guidance in the design and implementation of programs in the fields of workforce, disability and youth.

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Youth-led resource, information and training center for youth and emerging leaders with developmental disabilities.

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Electronic news service that brings you resources and information that are relevant to your interests and concerns related to employment.

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Information series focuses on preparing youth with disabilities to move from high school to the adult world.

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Reports from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the NLTS, the first effort in this country to document the experiences and outcomes of youth with disabilities. Document is in .pdf format.

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Database of federally-funded research projects, including projects on youth employment.

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Designed to assist states to build capacity to support and improve transition planning, services, and outcomes for youth with disabilities

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The Transition Toolkit combines the findings of current research on effective schooling, career preparatory experiences, youth development and youth leadership to help students with disabilities transition to work or higher education.

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This guide provides statistics and information about youth in the foster care system in the transition years, identifies areas requiring further attention by policymakers and service providers and provides resources and tools on the topic.

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Information from the Department of Labor on employment of youth with disabilties, including resources related to transition.

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Information on RSA, which oversees formula and discretionary grant programs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities obtain employment and live more independently through the provision of such supports as counseling, medical and psychological services, job training and other individualized services.

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A guide developed to serve as a resource for organizations working with youth on career exploration and employment options, and policymakers who support youth programs through policy and practice.

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Information on the applications of the Workforce Investment Act to youth with disabilities, families and service providers. Document is in .pdf format.

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Information on the State Department's Student Disability Program.

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State resource sheets from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) help you locate organizations and agencies within your state that address disability-related issues, including governors and U.S. senators, state agencies serving children and youth with disabilities, state chapters of disability organizations and parent groups and parent training and information projects.

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Information geared toward teens including community service options, how to pay for college, information about military service and how to register to vote.

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Students with disabilities share strategies to successfully stay in school, graduate and get jobs. They discuss their struggles with self-reporting their disability, and negotiating accommodations in school and at work.

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Publication from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure. This Workbook will help young people make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand how that decision may impact their education, employment and social lives.

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Provides online information, support and professional development on topics focusing on the transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities.

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Information from the Family Village Web site on transition issues faced by youth with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) as they transition from school to work.

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Study on successful strategies to help youth with mental health needs transition to postsecondary education, employment and independent lives. Document is in Word format.

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This guide will help workforce development practitioners, administrators and policymakers increase their understanding of youth with mental health needs and the supports necessary to help them transition into the workforce successfully.

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InfoBrief from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD)-Youth discusses career planning and vocational assessment for transition-age youth.

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Through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, The Washington Center help students develop leadership skills and gain valuable work experience in public service. Competitive scholarship awards are offered to eligible student with disabilities interested in working in the executive, judicial or legislative branches of the federal government.

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This project will review and synthesize the past 20 years of research and advancements in the area of transition for youth with disabilities.

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List of Community Work Incentive Coordinators who offer information and technical assistance in your state on the work incentives that help Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplementary Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries return to work.

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Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides information on workforce intermediaries, organizations that proactively address workforce needs using an approach which considers the needs of both employees and employers, and how they can help youth with disabilities become employed.

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Learn about WRP, a nationwide program that includes nearly 1,769 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who help employers fill both short and long term staffing needs. For more information on the TARGET Discovery Series and TARGET Web Connect, visit the TARGET Center Web site.

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Information from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on employment and employment-related opportunities for the one million youth under the age of 18 receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

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Web-assisted audioconference regarding youth with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) and issues related to transition from school to work.

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Fact sheet for young people on disclosure in employment situations.

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A free, interactive Web site that young adults and their teachers, parents and mentors can use to plan for life after high school.

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