Disabilities and Employment
Youth with Disabilities and Transition
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Last Update: December 22, 2005
Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership.
NCWD/Youth provides technical assistance to state and local governments, schools, one-stop career centers, community-based organizations, workforce boards, employers, youth and families. NCWD/Youth also examines the variety of national, state and local workforce programs that assist youth with disabilities in meeting their career ambitions.
In its role as partner of NCWD/Youth, NCSL provides state legislative bill tracking on issues related to people with disabilities and employment. NCSL also participates in other facets of NCWD/A work, including technical assistance to grantees.
 Intersection E-Newsletter
Intersection, a free electronic newsletter for and about workforce development system and working with youth with disabilities is available through the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth website at http://www.intersectionnewsletter.org/intersection.
Current Issue: Vol. 2, No. 11, December 20, 2005
New publications are posted online including the complete Guideposts for Success and two Info Briefs. The National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition (NASET) launches its new website. Youth Service America and Disney are offering the Disney Minnie Grants.
Archives:
2005
Issue 10, volume 2, No. 10, November 2, 2005
The research supporting NCWD/Youth's "Guideposts for Success" is posted online. ODEP releases several new or updated fact sheets with information relevant to persons with disabilities. Minnesota launches Project C3, a website with the purpose of helping transitioning youth become employed or continue their education. The Disability Funders Network (DFN) announces a Rapid Response Fund for people with disabilities in the U.S. gulf region.
Issue 9, v.2, No. 9, July 26, 2005
NCWD/Youth announces Pro-Bank, an online database of promising programs and practices in the workforce development system that effectively addresses the needs of youth with disabilities. Learn more about what Pro-Bank offers, its featured programs, and how to nominate a program for inclusion in Pro-Bank.
Issue 8, v.2, No.8, July 18, 2005
NCWD/Youth introduces Technical Assistance Tools section of the website. Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Council for Exceptional Children updates it side-by-side summary of the current and proposed IDEA regulations. The organization Do Something announces a call for applications for Fall 2005 grants.
Issue 7, v.2, No. 7, June 28, 2005
NCWD/Youth launches Pub-Bank, a new resources section of its website showcasing important articles, reports, and other documents related to workforce development and youth with disabilities. Disability Mentoring Day 2005 will take place October 19th. A workbook designed for youths, "The 411 on Disability Disclosure."
Issue 6, v.2, No. 6, May 19, 2005
NCWD/Youth releases a workbook entitled, "The 411 on Disability Disclosure." The national High School/High Tech conference will be held June 8-9, 2005 in Washington, D.C.. NCWD/Youth staff presentations are made available online. The National Conference of State Legislatures holds a webcast, "Youth with Disabilities: The State of Transition." Youthhood.org is launched
To sign up to receive Intersection, go to http://www.ncwd-youth.info/intersection/signup_form.php.
High School/High Tech programs help high school students with disabilities explore careers in science, math and technology. Some HS/HT sites are funded through the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), while others are funded from other sources. In sites funded by ODEP, federal grants provide assistance to states, working in partnership with the State Workforce Investment Board, in implementing a statewide HS/HT program. All programs offer a variety of services, including year-round in-school and out-of-school experiences, job shadowing, mentoring, summer internships and apprenticeships.
- High School/High Tech (HS/HT) State Development and Implementation Grants
These grants assist states, working in partnership with the State Workforce Investment Board, in implementing a statewide HS/HT program, in integrating the HS/HT program into youth services funded under the Workforce Investment Act, and in ensuring sustainability of the HS/HT program through state-level management and coordination.
Currently, HS/HT State Development and Implementation projects are in the following states: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Innovative State Alignment Grants assists states to conduct resource mapping to assess youth service delivery. The grants are also intended to help states in: 1) developing, implementing, and evaluating a cross-agency multi-year state plan to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities through blending and/or braiding of federal, state, and community resources and the use of local intermediary organizations; and 2) conducting local pilot demonstrations to determine how, through community partnerships, intermediary organizations can best be used to ensure that youth with disabilities obtain transition services consistent with evidence-based operating principles.
Innovative State Alignment Projects are in the following states:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Iowa
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Vermont
Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities are a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, Center for Faith- Based and Community Initiatives and the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration. These grants are designed to build the capacity and knowledge of faith-based and community organizations to provide mentoring services to young people with disabilities through the funding of intermediary organizations. A substantial portion of the award will be sub-awarded by the intermediary to eligible local faith-based and community organizations to conduct mentoring activities including, but not limited to, adult and peer mentoring, e-mentoring, tutoring, job-shadowing, service learning, leadership development, and youth development.
Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities projects are currently in the following states:
- California
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy funds all of the above youth grants, except for the privately funded High School/High Tech programs. To learn more about these grants, click here.
Pro-Bank, an online database of promising programs and practices in the workforce development system that effectively address the needs of youth with disabilities is now available on the NCWD/Youth website.
Featured programs are either pilot demonstration projects funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) or program designs which are inclusive of youth with disabilities or which specifically target youth with disabilities and which have a proven record of success.
Each Pro-Bank entry is classified by the categories of innovative practices it features. Program practices are featured in one or more of the following categories:
- Program Structure and Design
- Access and Participation in High Quality Standards-based Education;
- Workforce Preparatory Experiences and Work-based Experiences;
- Youth Development and Leadership Activities;
- Individual and Support Services;
- Family Involvement
Click here to learn more about Pro-Bank.
Publications
Below are publications by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth.
Quick Reference Guides
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) has produced a series of Quick Reference Guides on critical topics for administrators, youth service practitioners and policymakers. Each guide offer short succint descriptions of a topic and its importance with resources identified by experts at NCWD/Youth. The topics are: Assessment; Benefits Planning for Youth with Disabilities; Hidden Disabiliteis; Universal Access; Workplace Success; and Youth Development and Youth Leadership.
Guide on Assessment
A resource for multiple audiences, the guide has information on career-related assessments, accommodations, legal & ethical issues, developing practical and effective policies, interagency assessment systems and much more.
Disability Inquiries in the Workforce Development System  (printer-friendly version)
This publication is for those working in One-Stop centers as well as youth and adult service providers who interact with individuals with disabilities. It is designed to help clarify what you can and cannot ask about someone's disability.
The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities
This workbook is designed to help youth—and the adults working with them—to learn about disability disclosure. It also helps young people make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability, and to understand how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. It is the latest in a continued series of free resources from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, which is supported by a grant from the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
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