Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities IMPAQ International, LLC Page 1 Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities May 2014 Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities: Transition from School to Work and Lifelong Learning Linda Toms Barker, Principal Research Associate, IMPAQ International For Pac Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, May 19, 2014 Introduction Despite decades of federal and state initiatives focusing on transition from school to work for students with disabilities, the statistics on education and employment outcomes of youth with disabilities are truly dismal. For example: • About 17% of people with disabilities never finish high school and less than half enroll in college (47%) compared to 63% of people without disabilities, and only 16% finish college (compared to 30% of people without disabilities). 1 • The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2013 data show the employment rate of persons with disabilities between ages 16 and 84 is only one-third that of persons with no disabilities. 2 Youth with significant disabilities face significant challenges in seeking education, employment, or both. Although many government agencies and other service providers have a sincere commitment to increasing their capacity to serve youth with disabilities and to help them move past the barriers to education and employment that they face, many challenges remain. These challenges include a lack of guidance, belief that they face limited career options due to their disability, or lack the strong academic skills needed to pursue a college education. Historically, most youth with significant disabilities and their families have faced a choice of either seeking vocational training or going on to college. However, innovative approaches to defining new career pathways offer opportunities to focus on vocational skills in the short run, with the option of upgrading those skills through college education later. These career pathways include the ability to receive dual high school and college credit for vocational training so that short term certification programs will “count” towards college as they look to upgrade their skills and advance in their careers. New career pathways can play an important role in helping youth with disabilities set attainable goals and choose options that do not limit future career growth. Unfortunately, many special 1 U.S. Census Bureau. (2008) Disability Employment Tabulation 2008-2010 (3-year ACS data). Disability Employment Table 6. Disability Status by Educational Attainment from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Downloaded 2/13/14 2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, Table 1. Employment status of the civilian non-institutional population by disability status and selected characteristics, 2013 annual averages. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.t01.htm Accessed May 15, 2014. People with Disabilities General Population 47% enroll in college 63% enroll in college 16% finish college 30% finish college 27% are employed 71% are employed
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Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
IMPAQ International, LLC Page 1 Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
May 2014
Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities:
Transition from School to Work and Lifelong Learning
Linda Toms Barker, Principal Research Associate, IMPAQ International
For Pac Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, May 19, 2014
Introduction
Despite decades of federal and state initiatives focusing on transition from school to work for
students with disabilities, the statistics on education and employment outcomes of youth with
disabilities are truly dismal. For example:
• About 17% of people with disabilities never finish high school and less than half enroll in
college (47%) compared to 63% of
people without disabilities, and only
16% finish college (compared to 30% of
people without disabilities).1
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2013
data show the employment rate of
persons with disabilities between ages 16 and 84 is only one-third that of persons with no
disabilities. 2
Youth with significant disabilities face significant challenges in seeking education, employment, or
both. Although many government agencies and other service providers have a sincere
commitment to increasing their capacity to serve youth with disabilities and to help them move
past the barriers to education and employment that they face, many challenges remain. These
challenges include a lack of guidance, belief that they face limited career options due to their
disability, or lack the strong academic skills needed to pursue a college education. Historically,
most youth with significant disabilities and their families have faced a choice of either seeking
vocational training or going on to college. However, innovative approaches to defining new career
pathways offer opportunities to focus on vocational skills in the short run, with the option of
upgrading those skills through college education later. These career pathways include the ability to
receive dual high school and college credit for vocational training so that short term certification
programs will “count” towards college as they look to upgrade their skills and advance in their
careers.
New career pathways can play an important role in helping youth with disabilities set attainable
goals and choose options that do not limit future career growth. Unfortunately, many special
1 U.S. Census Bureau. (2008) Disability Employment Tabulation 2008-2010 (3-year ACS data). Disability Employment
Table 6. Disability Status by Educational Attainment from
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Downloaded 2/13/14 2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, Table 1. Employment status of the civilian non-institutional
population by disability status and selected characteristics, 2013 annual averages.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.t01.htm Accessed May 15, 2014.
People with Disabilities General Population
47% enroll in college 63% enroll in college
16% finish college 30% finish college
27% are employed 71% are employed
Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
IMPAQ International, LLC Page 2 Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
May 2014
education, vocational rehabilitation, and disability service agency professionals are unfamiliar with
these programs, and many youth and their families have little or no knowledge of how to access
them.
Brief History of School to Work Transition for Youth with Disabilities
Before the enactment of Public Law 94-142 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in
1975, many individuals lived in state institutions (in 1967 over 200,000 individuals with disabilities
lived in state institutions)3. Many restrictive settings provided only minimal food, clothing, and
shelter. Too often, persons with disabilities, were merely accommodated rather than assessed,
educated, and trained for the job market.
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act 1975 and Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act 1997 (IDEA) have brought about huge changes in education services for youth with disabilities.
Most children with disabilities are now educated in their neighborhood schools in regular
classrooms. Employment rates for youth served under IDEA are twice those of older adults with
similar disabilities who did not have the benefit of IDEA. The percentage of full-time college
freshmen with disabilities has tripled since 19784.
IDEA requires schools to provide services to students with disabilities to support a successful
transition from school to work, continued training or education, and other aspects of community
living. School to work transition, long a key component of educational planning as part of special
education, is becoming a more important component of high school education for all students.
For nearly two decades, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has sponsored transition
research, demonstration, and training initiatives that have resulted in a knowledge-base of
essential and promising approaches and strategies for the delivery of transition services for
students with disabilities. Advances and innovations in interagency cooperation, access to
postsecondary education and training, supported employment, transition planning, student and
parental involvement in school and post-school decision making, development of adult living skills,
self-determination and self-advocacy, and the like, are all valued examples of previous and current
efforts.
The federal/state vocational rehabilitation program (VR) has also played an important role in
school-to-work transition for students with disabilities by providing financial assistance for training
and education, counseling and job training to help prepare for employment and life after school,
adult living skills training, information on career choices, and guidance and assistance through the
hiring process.
3 Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Programs, U.S. Department of Education, Thirty-five Years of Progress
in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA, November 2010.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/history/index_pg8.htm, accessed May 15, 2014.
4 Shaw, Stan. College and the Student with Learning Disabilities, Council on Learning Disabilities for Missouri State
University, http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc/Attending-College-with-LD.htm. Accessed May 12, 2014.
Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
IMPAQ International, LLC Page 3 Career Pathways for Youth with Disabilities
May 2014
An example of a federally funded transition program that is innovative and showing great promise
for increasing job opportunities is the High School/High Tech program. This is a national network
of state and locally operated transition programs for youth with disabilities that provides youth
with disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or further education leading to technology-related
careers. The program uses a broad definition of “tech” defined as:
“…tangible objects of the human designed world (e.g., bridges, automobiles, computers,
satellites, medical imaging, devices, drugs, genetically engineered plants) and the systems
of which these objects are a part (e.g., transportation, communications, healthcare, food
production)”
The High School/High Tech program provides:
• Preparatory experiences -- career interest and vocational assessments, information about
careers, income potential, and work-readiness skills including computer skills.
• Connecting activities -- collaborating with other institutions to provide support services and
enrichment (academic tutoring, supportive peer and adult mentor, self-sufficiency issues
like assistive technology, transportation, benefits planning, and health maintenance.)