This report is the first in a series of four final reports that present the findings of the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Program. Initiated in fall 1992, the study has tracked VR participation and post-VR experiences of applicants to and consumers of VR services (n=8,500) for up to 3 years following exit from…

Special educators from rural and remote school districts in eastern Oregon surveyed local employers and designed a school-to-work site-based work-experience program for students with disabilities in an area with limited employment resources. Components of the six-year program (grades 7-12) and the outcome of enhancing associated work skills are…

Designed for parents and professionals facing development of transition programs in their own communities, this guide offers in Section 1 an overview of noncollegiate educational options after high school for students with disabilities who need additional time and training to prepare for adulthood. It covers employment, postsecondary education and…

This text presents the context, theories, resources, and strategies necessary to promote the employment of people with disabilities. The book is intended for rehabilitation professionals, special educators, psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, vocational counselors, and vocational educators. The 12 chapters are based on a model…

This report describes a 48-month project which developed, field tested, and evaluated the utility of the Vocational Assessment Protocol (VAP) for use with persons with traumatic brain injury resulting in a severe and persistent disability. The VAP is intended to assist in the community-based vocational rehabilitation of these individuals. The VAP…

This book focuses on the notion of "transition to adulthood" for students with special educational needs, exploring it in terms of class, race, gender, and disability differences and relating it to social, economic, and political influences. Chapter 1 sets the stage, arguing that the special needs area has largely developed in British…

The costs of the Department of Labor's Welfare-to-Work (WTW) grants program were analyzed by studying 18 WTW programs from 9 in-depth evaluation sites. The programs differed from the standpoints of their service locations, target populations, and service emphasis, and their costs variations were consistent with those differences. The 18 programs…

This publication, in English and Spanish, is intended to assist in inclusion of transition from school to work components in the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student with a disability in middle school or high school. The guide begins with definitions of "transitions" and "success" and then offers vignettes of the…

These instructional materials are designed to improve the performance of paraeducators working in transitional services and supported employment for teenagers and young adults with disabilities. The competency-based program helps participants to learn skills they can apply immediately, to accept new practices, and to increase their understanding…

Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (TTW) was designed to enhance the market for services that help disability beneficiaries become economically self-sufficient by providing beneficiaries with a wide range of choices for obtaining services and to give employment-support service providers new financial incentives to serve beneficiaries…

Part of a series from the Child Care Law Center, this issue of "Working for Change" discusses the need for quality, affordable child care as a support for working parents trying to break out of welfare dependency. This report details the current realities of poor parents who struggle to find and pay for child care while they work and…

This conference proceedings report focuses on the theme of "lifelong transitions" in the context of strengthening linkages between the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and parents and families of special needs students throughout the United States. Section 1 includes the following presentations: "Lifelong…

This program improvement guide is designed to assist district and school level interdisciplinary planning teams to improve career/vocational programs for students with disabilities. Its focus is on the integration of best practices within the educational program continuum to achieve positive student outcomes. The guide includes three sections.…

The Dispersed Heterogeneous Placement (DHP) supported employment project involved dispersal of three to five consumers across several departments/areas in a larger business or across several businesses in close proximity. The individuals placed had a wide range of talents and disability severity levels. Typically, a four-person site might have one…

A pictograph and icon-driven training program has been specifically designed for educators who are responsible for teaching the developmentally disabled regarding the safe use of hazardous chemicals. In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it offers "reasonable accommodation" by those who educate and train this special…