People with intellectual disability are only marginally represented in the labour market, and research has identified several school-related barriers to their labour market participation. This study uses a qualitative method triangulation with eight teacher interviews and nine individualised educational plans (IEPs) to explore how teachers prepare…

We tested the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention program designed for high school students across the autism spectrum, the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism (CSESA) model, in a cluster randomized control trial involving 60 high schools in three states (California, North Carolina, Wisconsin), with implementation occurring…

Special education teachers' perceptions towards community-based vocational instruction (CBVI) are critical for effective implementation of related activities for students with intellectual disability (ID). This paper examines special education teachers' perceptions towards CBVI in preparing secondary students with ID for postschool employment in…

The overall goal of the Building State Capacity Summit series was to enhance successful outcomes for students leaving high school, whether it is matriculation in a postsecondary education or training program, or employment. Young adults who are deaf or hard or hearing face barriers that inhibit these successful outcomes. One way to mitigate these…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recognizes the current challenges faced by states and schools relative to the provision of high-quality intervener services for children who are deaf-blind. To respond to these challenges, OSEP asked the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) to conduct an…

Under United States federal law, students who are in special education are guaranteed the right to attend school, but their education will vary depending upon their disability and their independent goals that are developed in a contract between the school and the parents called an Individual Educational Plan or IEP. Students with moderate/severe…

Since the transition movement in the 1980s, numerous transition practices have been developed. Kohler (1993) provided a comprehensive review and analysis of transition best practices and divided them into substantiated and implied practices based on the existence of empirical evidence. Since that review was published, the field of transition has…

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (Public Law 105-220) marked a major reform in the nation's job training system. It consolidated more then 60 federal training programs into three block grants to states: (1) adult employment and training; (2) disadvantaged youth employment and training; and (3) adult education and family literacy…

The author provides an example of how an individualized competency-based skills training program available for secondary students of all abilities can assist those who intend to seek advanced placement in postsecondary training in vocational-technical education or college education. (CT)

The Employment Training and Transition Model is presented as a comprehensive classroom model whose goal is to prepare students with severe handicaps to work, live, and recreate in their home communities while in high school and after graduation. The model is built on the assumption that high school programs should be integrated, age-appropriate,…

This training module is comprised of two documents, the facilitator's guide and the student guide, and is intended for the introductory phase of a course for paraprofessional school personnel. The facilitator's guide provides the full text of the student's guide as well as chapter goals to be accomplished by students, topics covered in each text…

School-to-work transition helps at-risk youth secure and maintain employment and an adult life-style. Transition focuses on individual characteristics, training needs, and choices that result in the development of realistic long-range goals and selection of appropriate programs and services. Effective school-to-work transition necessitates a wide…

Adolescence is a time for dreaming for youth to imagine and set a course for the future. High school students naturally spend time imagining the future if and where to continue their education, to find a job or pursue a career, to move away from home, or to start a family. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes a process…

The maintenance of learned behavior is a problem frequently faced by teachers of persons with severe disabilities. The study examined the use of a self-management procedure to improve and maintain the work performance of 6 young adults (ages 18-20) with severe retardation in integrated job settings. Students were taught to self-monitor their work…

The VORHS Program (Vocational Opportunities for Rural Handicapped Students) was developed for a rural school district in Wyoming. It grew out of the need for a curricular system that could (1) provide the means of constructing individual courses to meet the needs of the handicapped population and also satisfy local graduation requirements; (2)…