DisabilityInfo.gov: Education: School to Work: Transition

Program administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service which allows people of all ages and backgrounds to obtain help paying for education in exchange for a year of service.

To Top

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.

To Top

A project of the Center on Children, Families and the Law at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for families with children with special needs, including disabilities (such as physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities) and chronic illnesses of all types.

To Top

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

To Top

Fact sheet from the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) answers commonly asked questions about disability and employment issues.

To Top

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.

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition published a Handbook for Implementing a Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

A national, grassroots network of youth with special health needs or disabilities (including physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities) and friends who speak on their own behalf. KASA provides information about a variety of issues including living with disabilities, health care, school and work.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

Sampling of educational materials NASA has developed for those who teach students with disabilities.

To Top

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.

To Top

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.

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

Contains journal articles, books, reports and other sources of research and practice in the area of workforce development and youth with disabilities.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

Center supports the national implementation of provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide successful school outcomes for students with disabilities, and supports states in assisting local education agencies to increase school completion rates and decrease dropout rates among students with disabilities.

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

Develops and provides technical assistance that will result in increased, culturally relevant vocational rehabilitation services for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with disabilities and improve their employment opportunities nationwide.

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

Provides one-to-one and group mentoring programs where adult mentors with disabilities act as positive role models and provide support, understanding and guidance for youth as they strive to reach their personal, educational and career goals.

To Top

This Guide, created by the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth is intended for individuals designing mentoring programs for youth, including youth with disabilities, in the transition phase to adulthood.

To Top

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.

To Top

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.

To Top

Information on the federal government's Student Educational Employment Program.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

The Next Step is a 19-minute video that presents personal stories of young people with disabilities who enrolled in colleges, universities or technical schools.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top

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.

To Top

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

To Top

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

To Top