Work in Progress:
Including Students with Disabilities in School-to-Work Initiatives
By Darlene D. Unger and Richard Luecking
FOCUS ON AUTISM AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2, SUMMER 1998
Copyright ă PRO-ED, Inc.
Reprinted with permission
Since the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) was passed
by Congress in 1994, 37 states and a host of localities have
received federal grants to build systems that link learning in
classrooms with the skills required by the nation's youth to
succeed in the workplace. School-to-work (STW) partnerships are
forming in communities throughout the country, and thousands of
schools, educators, employers, labor unions, community
organizations, parent groups, and other stakeholders are
participating in these partnerships. The purpose of this article
is to provide a synopsis of the STWOA; describe what states and
localities are doing to include youth with disabilities in STW
initiatives; and offer recommendations to special educators,
rehabilitation professionals, students with disabilities, and
parents for increasing the participation of youth with
disabilities in a wide range of STW activities.
In May of 1994, after strong bipartisan support
in Congress, President Bill Clinton signed into law the
School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA). The aim of the
legislation was to improve the preparation of young people for
their careers by providing a national framework for building local
systems to help ensure that all students achieve high levels of
academic and technical skills (U.S. Departments of Education and
Labor, 1996a). The assumption was that the development of local
school-to-work (STW) systems would better prepare all students for
entry into the workforce, regardless of whether their pathway to
work involved postsecondary education or immediate entry into the
workforce. Such systems would aid all students in deciding what
type of careers they might like to have by providing them with
educational and work activities that would provide exposure to and
experience in a wide range of careers. This knowledge would assist
them in making successful transitions from school to postschool
educational and employment environments.
The STWOA provides seed money, or "venture
capital," in legislative terms, to states and localities for
the development of school-to-work systems that promote the linking
of classroom instruction and work-based learning. Through the
school-to-work initiatives, the nation's youth, including those
with disabilities, receive rigorous instruction that is relevant
to the rapidly changing demands of the work world.
Only about 50%, or roughly 1.4 million, of our
nation's youth enroll in some form of postsecondary education soon
after they graduate. Of these, only about one half successfully
complete a baccalaureate program (Grant Foundation Commission,
1988; Kazis, 1993). Fewer than 1 in 10 large American firms hire
new high school graduates. It is no wonder that about one third of
young adults fail to find stable employment by the time they reach
the age of 30 (Osterman, 1993). The evidence supports the idea
that our nation's schools do a much better job of preparing
students for furthering their education and training in
postsecondary educational environments that in preparing students
for careers. The STWOA is perhaps the most comprehensive federal
initiative to date designed to significantly enhance students'
postschool outcomes, regardless of whether a student has a
disability, or whether a student seeks immediate entry into the
labor force or postsecondary education. I tic STWOA is a major
educational reform initiative that builds on and expands earlier
school programs and school-business collaborations, with origins
in special and vocational education, in an effort to develop and
implement comprehensive STW systems that benefit all students.
The Act's emphasis on serving all students in
STW systems is perhaps one of the most significant aspects of this
unique piece of legislation in terms of contributing to improved
postschool employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.
However, preliminary findings report that youth with disabilities
are generally underrepresented in STW initiatives (Hershey, Hudis,
Silverberg, & Haimson, 1997; Miller, Hazelkorn, & Lombard,
1997; Silverberg, 1997). One possible explanation is that special
education has its own system to facilitate transition from school
to postschool environments, including competitive employment.
Thus, some professionals may feel that students with disabilities
do not need to be included in STW initiatives. Misinformed
skepticism pertaining to the inclusion of youth with disabilities
in STW initiatives by key participants in the development and
implementation of school-to-work activities may also contribute to
the lack of involvement of students with disabilities in those
activities. Perhaps one of the most alarming explanations is that
the special educators, rehabilitation professionals, and
individuals "with disabilities are unaware of the potential
value of the STW movement in improving the postschool outcomes of
youth with disabilities.
In order for individuals to realize the act's
full potential, it is imperative that special educators,
rehabilitation professionals, youth with disabilities, and their
parents be knowledgeable about the S71VOA, and be active
participants in the design and implementation of school-to-work
systems in their state and local communities. The purpose of this
article is to provide a synopsis of the School-to-Work
Opportunities Act of 1994, provide examples of what states and/or
localities are doing to include students with disabilities in
school-to-work initiatives, and offer recommendations that will
lead to increased participation of youth with disabilities in
school-to-work activities under the act.
What Is the School-to-Work Opportunities Act?
The School-to-Work Opportunities Act seeks to
link what students learn in the classroom with the skills required
to succeed in the workforce. The S'IW approach to learning is
based on the concept that education for all should be made more
relevant and useful to future careers and lifelong learning (U.S.
Departments of Education and Labor, 1996b). Parents, students,
secondary and postsecondary educators, employers, labor
representatives, locally elected officials, and others form
partnerships that drive the development and implementation of
school-to-work initiatives at the local level. Through
school-to-work initiatives all students, including those with
disabilities, students who are college bound, and students
desiring to enter the workforce upon exiting school, will be
afforded opportunities to participate in a range of activities
that help them set and achieve their career goals. Young adults
exiting secondary education programs mill be better prepared to
realize their vocational aspirations through the development of
state and local partnerships that successfully (a) emphasize
learning in real work environments; (b) relate classroom education
to these real-life work experiences; (c) link educational
activities with related programs and services; and (d) connect
students and their families to necessary community resources and
supports.
School and community partnerships play an
integral role in the successful implementation of school-to-work
activities. Employers and representatives from business and
industry have increasingly voiced the concern that young adults
are exiting high school without the skills required to succeed in
a rapidly changing workforce. Through the development of effective
school and community partnerships, students will be afforded the
opportunity to participate in work-based learning experiences that
reinforce what they are learning in school. Students may be more
motivated to learn when they see the relevance of what they are
learning in the classroom to success in the workforce.
Furthermore, because S'IW partnerships establish linkages between
secondary education and postsecondary educational and training
programs, community organizations, and employers, students who
participate are more likely to experience success in making the
transition from school to employment or further education and
training.
Students participating in school-to-work
activities will encounter significant changes in both the method
and the environments in which their education is rendered. For
example, they might be involved in a career-focused program of
study where students choose a "career major" by 11th
grade. A career-focused program of study is designed to meet a
particular state's academic standards, including those established
under Goals 2000, and typically requires transitions to
postsecondary education and the achievement of a nationally
recognized skill certificate in the chosen career major. Students
in other localities might participate in a series of
systematically planned work experiences and training that are
coordinated with school-based learning and provide students with
instruction in general workplace competencies as well as workplace
mentors.
As the number of states receiving
federal funding to support the development and implementation of
school-to-work initiatives increases, the variety of activities
undertaken in local communities will become as diverse as the
economic, political, and social environments in which the STW
systems operate.
Elements of the School-to-Work System
The STWOA was designed to give states and local
partnerships considerable flexibility in developing and
implementing their own unique school-to-work systems. However, the
act specifies that all school-to-work programs must include three
components: school-based activities, work-based activities, and
connecting activities. The act further specifies guidelines for
each of these components (see Table 1). These components promote
the development of school-to-work systems that focus on
high-quality academic and career preparation, learning by doing,
and bridging the gap between what is learned in school and what is
required in the workplace.
The manner in which each of the components
(i.e., school-based, work-based, and connecting activities) is
implemented at the local level exemplifies many innovative
strategies. For example, in a midwestern elementary school, all
students participate in the school's Career Immersion Program
(Institute on Community Integration, 1997), which offers hands-on
school-based learning whereby students participate in classroom
businesses and in-school, nonpaid employment, with both activities
guided by business and community partners. The classroom
businesses, such as a school supply business and a popcorn and
candy business, operate independently; students are responsible
for making management and marketing decisions, and teachers serve
as chief executive officers. Students can also apply for in-school
employment. They are expected to submit employment applications,
participate in the interview process, and complete the nonpaid
work experience under contract.
Work-based learning components recognize the
importance of instruction and skills training that occur in
community-based businesses and organizations, specifically
workplace experiences, structured job training, and mentoring. For
example, in an elementary school in the Southeast, students
between the ages of 9 and 13, including students with mental
retardation, participate in work-based learning activities through
job-shadowing experiences (Institute on Community Integration,
1995). Local businesses permit students to follow, or
"shadow," an employee at the business to learn about the
particular job or industry. Job shadowing provides students with
opportunities to explore various occupations and careers at an
early age, as well as to develop work skills through activities
and instruction provided at the business.
Connecting activities include strategies to
connect school-based and work-based learning, and developing
linkages between secondary education and postsecondary education,
employers, and community agencies and organizations (e.g., the
Department of Rehabilitative Services). For example, the school
system assists students with making the transition to employment,
accessing postsecondary education options and supports, and
contacting community and adult service providers (Institute on
Community Integration, 1996).
What Type of Federal Support Is Available?
One of the unique aspects of the School-to-Work
Opportunities Act is that it did not establish another education
and training program with federal mandates that address the needs
of a targeted population. Instead, the STWOA sought to develop
comprehensive statewide and local systems for facilitating
school-to-work transitions. STWOA directs seed money to interested
statewide collaborations among governors, state agency
representatives, labor representatives, and business
representatives. At the local level, the activities are to be
undertaken by partnerships among educators, employers, employees,
and students (Hershey et al., 1997). The types of grants that are
awarded through funds allocated under the STWOA are described in
Table 2.
TABLE 1
Components of School-to-Work Systems
School-Based Learning Component
Career awareness, exploration, and counseling programs
beginning at the earliest possible age, but no later than seventh
grade;
Career major selection no later than the beginning of the
11 th grade;
A program of study that meets the academic standards the
state has established for all students, including, where
applicable, standards established under the Goals 2000: The
Educate America Act, and meets the requirements for postsecondary
education preparation and skill certificate award;
A program of instruction and curriculum that integrates
academic and vocational learning and incorporates instruction to
the extent practicable, in all aspects of an industry;
Regular evaluations of students and dropouts to identify
strengths and weaknesses, workplace knowledge, goals, and need for
additional learning opportunities; and
Procedures that ease student entry into additional training
or postsecondary education programs and that ease the transfer of
students between education and training programs.
Work-Based Learning Components
Work experience opportunities;
Job training and work experiences that are coordinated with
learning in school-based programs that are relevant to students'
career major choices and lead to skill certificates;
Workplace mentoring;
Instruction and activities in general workplace
competencies, including positive work attitudes, employability,
and practicable skills; and
Broad instruction, to the extent practicable, in all
aspects of the industry.
Connecting Activities
Matching of students with employers' work-based learning
opportunities;
School-site mentors who act as liaisons among school,
employer, and community partners;
Technical assistance to small- and medium-sized firms and
other parties;
Assistance to schools and employers in integrating
school-based and work-based learning;
Active participation of employers in cooperation with local
education officials;
Assistance to participants in finding jobs, continuing
their education, or entering additional training, and linking them
with other community services to assure a successful transition;
Collection and analysis of participants' postprogram
outcomes; and
Linkage of youth development activities in this act with
other employer and industry strategies for upgrading the skills of
incumbent workers.
Illustrations From Various States
Currently, all 50 states have been awarded
development grants, and 37 of those have also been awarded
implementation grants. According to a recently released 2-year
progress report to the U.S. Congress on the implementation of the
School-to-Work Opportunities Act, 500,000 students, 135,000
employers, and 1,800 schools throughout the nation are involved in
federally funded school-to-work activities (U.S. Departments of
Education and Labor, 1996a). States and localities have
implemented a variety of activities to address the requirements of
each of the three components of the act (school-based learning,
work-based learning, and connecting activities; see Table 1).
Career academies, cooperative education, tech prep programs, youth
apprenticeships, and school-based enterprises are five approaches,
among many, employed by local school-to-work partnerships to
implement the various elements of the School-to-Work Opportunities
Act of 1994. For localities that have yet to develop or implement
school-to-work programs, each of these approaches provides an
example of how the programs might be developed. Descriptions of
sample activities being conducted to meet the STW requirements in
various states follow.
TABLE 2
STWOA Venture Capital Funding
State Development Grants
State development grants support efforts to plan and develop
statewide systems of school-to-work transitions. All 50 states,
Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have been awarded
planning grants. A total of $32 million has been awarded, with the
average grant totaling approximately $430,000.
State Implementation Grants
State implementation grants are one-time, 5-year venture
capital investments intended to help every state and territory
establish STW systems. In 1994, eight states were awarded 5-year
grants with the understanding that their efforts would, in part,
inform and improve subsequent efforts. Nineteen states were added
in 1995, and 10 states were awarded implementation grants in 1996.
Native American Program Grants
Native American program grants support the development and
implementation of STW systems for Native American youth. Eighteen
grants have been awarded thus far, totaling $1.8 million.
Federal Implementation Grants to Local Partnerships
Federal implementation grants to local partnerships support the
development and implementation of school-to-work transition
systems by local jurisdictions or communities. Some of the grants
went to communities that were prepared to implement a
school-to-work program but whose state was not ready for statewide
implementation. Other grants have been earmarked to address the
specific challenges of both urban and rural communities.
National Program Grants
National program grants support research, evaluation, technical
assistance, dissemination, and other efforts. The National STW
Learning and Information Center provides technical assistance and
facilitates exchanges among the grantees. A contract of $1.3
million per year for a 5-year evaluation grant was awarded in
September of 1995 to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
School-to-Work Program Models
Career Academies. A career academy is typically
a school-within-a-school that offers students academic programs
organized around broad career themes (National School-to-Work
Office, 1997). Classroom instruction is integrated into work-based
learning as academies try to equip students with the skills
necessary for both workforce entry and postsecondary admission.
Curricula are often planned with the assistance of business
partners, who suggest program structure, provide classroom
speakers, host school field trips, and provide mentors for
individual students. Students may be placed into jobs related to
their field of study in the summer, and may spend some part of
their senior year participating in a work experience program. One
of the essential characteristics of a career academy is that local
employers from the relevant industry sector are heavily involved
(Mendel, 1994). For example, employers might donate equipment and
services, offer employees to serve as mentors, or provide summer
jobs and internships.
An example of a career academy is the Academy
for Law, Criminal Justice, and Public Administration, based at
Horace Furness High School in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
That academy offers students concentrated studies in the legal,
governance, and criminal justice systems. To help students
integrate their academic coursework, classes focus on year-long
projects that explore a specific legal issue. For instance, in
studying the topic of DNA for trial purposes, students might
conduct statistical analyses of its structure for math, analyze
its composition for chemistry, and write a research paper on its
discovery for English. Periodic guest speakers, mock trials,
role-playing sessions, and trips to law firms in the area enhance
the classroom instruction (National School-to-Work Office, 1997).
Cooperative Education. In cooperative
education, students participate in a coordinated program of
school-based learning and career-related work experience during
the later years of high school. Students and participating
businesses develop training and evaluation plans to guide
instruction, and students receive course credit for their learning
and work experiences (National School-to-Work Office, 1997).
Cooperative education is one of the most extensive sources of
work-based learning available to high school students (Mendel,
1994; Stern, Finkelstein, Stone, Latting, & Dornsife, 1994).
Poudre R-1 School District in Fort Collins,
Colorado, offers a cooperative education program to students as
early as the 10th grade. The program is called Professional and
Career Experience (PaCE), and approximately 550 students
participate. The goals of the program are to provide high-quality
career exploration instruction and increase the number and
diversity of cooperative education placements. The school-based
components of the program include career exploration and career
development courses, work-readiness courses, and seminars on
workplace issues. Students typically begin their courses in the
10th grade, at which time they are required to develop a
preliminary career plan and job-search portfolio. The work-based
components of the program include work internships (paid and
unpaid), job shadowing, and community service. Students work in
coop placements in a range of fields, including high-tech
electronics, health care, and the public sector. To maintain the
quality of placements, PaCE program directors and employers
prepare training plans describing the skills students are expected
to acquire. Finally, students can receive up to 25 high school
course credits for placement activities (Pauly, Kopp, &
Haimson, 1995).
Tech-Prep Programs. Tech-prep programs provide
4 years of sequential coursework at the secondary and
postsecondary levels to prepare students for technical careers.
Programs typically begin in 11th grade and culminate in an
associate's degree or certificate after 2 years of postsecondary
training. Techprep programs are designed to strengthen students'
academic skills while providing them with technical preparation in
a career area (National School-to-Work Office, 1997).
Wayne Township Tech Prep, in Indianapolis,
Indiana, operates a program that serves approximately 89 students.
Participating students are provided with a fixed sequence of
courses in English, math, science, manufacturing technology, and
computer applications. The instruction in the classes is often
application based, meaning that lessons are linked to the area of
career interest and are more "hands-on" and application
focused. Students are also able to participate in a planned co-op
during the summer of their senior year in the field they desire.
Upon successfully completing high school, the students continue
their coursework at the local community college, where they may
ultimately earn an associate's degree (Pauly et al., 1995).
Youth Apprenticeship Programs. Students
participate in a coordinated program of school-based and
work-based learning that provides career counseling, integrated
academic and occupational instruction, training and mentoring in a
workplace, progressively higher levels of work experience, and the
opportunity to earn an industry- recognized skill credential. Most
programs extend from high school through at least I year of
postsecondary education (Mendel, 1994).
Craftsmanship 2000 (C2), in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is
a metalworking youth apprenticeship program serving students in
the Tulsa School District and 13 surrounding school districts. C2
is a 4-year program that begins in the I Ith grade and ultimately
leads to an associate's degree from Tulsa Junior College. Students
experience in-plant training at the Hilti Corporation every year
except the first. The school-based learning components include
academic and technical instruction at the school's technology
center, academic instruction integrating themes relevant to
metalworking, extended school day and year, and linkages with
junior college for an associate's degree. The work-based
activities apply and extend skills taught in the classroom and
help students develop firm-specific skills, acquire industry
mentors, and gain both paid and unpaid work experience that in
creases each year (Craftsmanship 2000, 1997).
School-Based Enterprises. School-based
enterprises engage students in school-based activities that
produce goods or services for sale to, or use by, people other
than the students involved (Stern et al., 1994). The activities
include students' building houses, running restaurants, managing
retail stores, repairing and selling cars, and staffing childcare
centers. School-based enterprises typically provide structured
work-based learning while in school, but the school curriculum
does not usually build on students' work experience.
The Montgomery County Students Construction
Trades Foundation in Montgomery County, Maryland, is an example of
school-based enterprise; students who participated built houses
and sold them on the open market. The program originally grew out
of vocational education and currently involves students in
landscaping, architecture, food service, cabinetmaking,
journalism, and marketing.
What Are States & Localities Doing to Include Youth
with Disabilities in School-to-Work Activities?
The School-to-Work Opportunities Act was
designed to benefit all students. However, unlike the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act, participation by students with
disabilities in STW activities is not an entitlement. In states
and localities building STW systems, students with disabilities
should be afforded ample opportunity to participate, as well as
receive necessary support to successfully complete STW programs,
In fact, all states are required to have plans for including all
students, including those with disabilities, in STW systems. In
addition, state and local governance structures are required to
include their representation.
To ensure that students with disabilities are
included in School-to-Work initiatives, states and localities have
undertaken a number of activities. In Maryland, for example, there
is close collaboration between the state's school-to-work
initiative, called Career Connections, and the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) transition systems
change project, called the Maryland Transition Initiative.
Specifically, they
require their respective subgrantees to demonstrate active
joint participation;
sponsor join conferences and inservice events; and
provide joint technical assistance to local school
districts.
Additionally, in each local partnership,
disability advocates serve on the established governance
structure, where the expectation is full participation in each
subcommittee, as opposed to convening a separate "special
education" committee. Maryland is deliberately seeking to
avoid duplicate efforts and minimize categorical approaches to
transition. For example, in an STW initiative in Baltimore County,
students with and without disabilities are engaged in a
comprehensive work-based learning project. In a newly established
project in Baltimore city, two vocational high schools, operated
much like career academics, are actively including students with
disabilities in work based learning experiences in all of their
occupational offerings.
In Oregon, 1 of its 15 regional offices has a particular
concern that it develop STW systems that include all students, as
opposed to individual categorical transition programs. For
example, in many schools the work-study coordinator organizes
work-based learning for all students, including those with
disabilities. Transition plans are developed for all students that
are no different from those required for students with
disabilities. Furthermore, each school develops plans for
school-to-work activities with the expectation that activities
will include all students. In many of the rural areas, whether it
is a challenge to organize work-based learning due to the paucity
of nearby businesses, schools are given assistance to establish
school-based enterprises but must first demonstrate how students
with disabilities will participate.
Colorado's School-to-Career initiative has embraced a
comprehensive approach to integrating all students into
school-to-work systems statewide. Similar to Marylands system,
rather than having special populations represented in separate
groups, Colorado includes representatives from diverse populations
and related professionals on all working committees at every
level. Thus, all populations are represented across the board,
from the design stage to implementation. Whenever local
school-to-work grants are available, local partnerships are
required to include the transition interagency governing boards
for youth with disabilities as working partners. As the 5 year
transition systems change grant for Colorado was ending, it
reframed its initiative for youth with disabilities to be aligned
with the comprehensive school-to-work initiative, thus ensuring
that the state would continue to integrate best practices for
youth with disabilities and key personnel-within the larger
system.
Implications of the STWOA for Special Educators,
Rehabilitation Professionals, Parents, and Youth with Disabilities
Given the obvious parallels between the intent of the
School-to-Work Opportunities Act and proven practices of the most
effective STW transition initiatives for youth with disabilities,
there is now a window of opportunity to sue STW partnerships as
vehicles for improving the postschool outcomes for youth with
disabilities. Examples provided demonstrate initial efforts to
include students with disabilities in STW initiatives; however,
much more remains to be done to ensure that integrated
school-to-work systems are developed and implemented. The
following is a list of activities that special educators,
rehabilitation professionals, and parent so young adults with
disabilities might consider so that more integration of effort
occurs between general and special education transition
initiatives.
Establish links between Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
transition initiatives and STW systems. Since 1991 the OSEP of the
U.S. Department of Education has funded grants in almost every
state to improve systems for school-to-wok transition for youth
with disabilities. These initiatives parallel many of those now
under way for all students through the STWOA. When these parallel
systems merge efforts, as in the Maryland and Colorado examples,
mutual activity strengthens the objectives of both.
Seek representation on STW planning/governance teams.
School-to-work governance teams exist everywhere STW partnerships
are being formed. Because the School-to-Work Opportunities Act
requires participation by youth with disabilities in STW
initiatives, governance team membership by disability advocates is
one obvious way for partnerships to demonstrate this intent. Once
on the team, participate in all aspects of the partnership.
Advocacy is more effective when seen in the light of the larger
mission.
Begin to unify employer engagement. The backbone of STW
initiatives is strong employer involvement. One recent evaluation
of STW suggested that 10 times the number of employers now
involved will be necessary to create systems where classroom and
work-based learning are truly linked (Hershey et al., 1997).
Competition for employer involvement for categorical programs is
aggravating to employers. Work together to get their attention.
Share what works. For example, the concept of contextual
learning, that is learning tasks in real-life situations, has been
a hallmark of successful school-to-work transition programs for
youth with significant disabilities. This success with youth with
disabilities can inform the larger STW movement and thereby garner
greater credibility and participation in STW systems.
Look for links to a variety of postsecondary options. Formal
postschool links to specific disability services (e.g., vocational
rehabilitation, supported employment, etc.) are important options
but not necessarily exclusive ones. STW programs are developing
all kinds of promising links to community colleges, employment
support services, and a host of generically available community
services and programs. Individuals exploring post-school options
with transition-age youth with disabilities should be familiar
with the many possibilities that can result in valuable postschool
support, which in turn augment and enhance those services
traditionally available to people with disabilities.
Implications for Individuals with Disabilities and
Their Families
It is essential that transition-age youth with
disabilities and their parents find out what types of
school-to-work activities are being developed and implemented in
their communities. Knowledge of the types of activities schools
offer under the school-based learning component, the work-based
learning component, and connecting activities help in identifying
activities that will assist the student in reaching his or her
career goals. Students with disabilities and their parents can
more effectively advocate for participation in STW activities
during the development of the students' transition plans if they
are aware of STW activities available through the school system.
Students with disabilities and their parents
should also pay close attention to the local school system's
effort to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities in
general education programs. The same strategies and support that
are provided to students with disabilities in general education
programs should be provided to students desiring to participate in
school-to-work activities.
For well over a decade, the transition of youth
with disabilities from school to adult life has been a major
priority for public - policy-makers, educators, rehabilitation
professionals, and parents of young adults with disabilities. With
the passage of major educational reform initiatives, including
Goals 2000: The Educate America Act and the School-to-Work
Opportunities Act, increased emphasis has been placed on
transition from school to employment for all students. Rarely have
educational programs been directed to serve students with and
without disabilities simultaneously. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act mandates that all children with
disabilities must have available to them a free, appropriate
public education that emphasizes special education and related
services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for
employment and independent living. Unlike IDEA, the School-to-Work
Opportunities Act does not guarantee students with disabilities
the right to participate in school-to-work activities. However,
these students have as much right to participate as their
non-disabled peers. To ensure the full participation of youth with
disabilities in school-to-work initiatives, it is imperative that
special educators, rehabilitation professionals, advocates for
persons with disabilities and parents not only share what are
known to be the most effective practices in transitioning youth
with disabilities from school to work, but also be active
participants in the development and implementation of the larger
school-to-work initiatives.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Darlene D. Unger is employed with the
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Supported
Employment at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU-RRTQ. She is
currently the project coordinator for the School Based Supported
Employment Project, which provides training and technical
assistance to localities in developing scbool-based supported
employment and job placement programs for transition age youth
with disabilities. Rickard Luecking is on a I -year leave of
absence from his position as president of TransCen, Inc., to work
in the National School-to-Work Office, the federal agency
responsible for implementing the School-to-Work Opportunities.
Address: Darlene D. Unger, VCU-RRTC, 1314 W Main St., Richmond, VA
23284-2011.
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