by Richard G. Luecking, Ed.D., with invited contributors

Employment is one of the biggest contributors to quality of life for people with disabilities and that means well-planned work experiences should be an integral part of transition preparation for every secondary and postsecondary school aged youth. Make that happen with this practical guide, developed to help educators, transition specialists, and employment specialists facilitate individualized, person-centered work experiences and jobs for high school students and young adults with a wide range of disabilities.

Readers will get the specific, ready-to-use guidance they need to:

• uncover students’ strengths, needs, and interests through formal and informal assessments
• recruit and retain employer partners who gladly host youth in their workplaces
• help students decide when and how to disclose a disability to an employer
• guide students in advocating effectively for accommodations on the job
• support students and employers in making the most of work experiences
• involve families in supporting the work experience
• collaborate with other professionals to develop and sustain work experiences
• and much more

To help with every step of facilitating meaningful employment, readers will get examples of model programs, stories that illustrate what works and doesn't work, more than a dozen photocopiable tools and forms, and end-of-chapter “Learning Labs” with reflection questions and thought-provoking activities.

Teachers and transition specialists will rely on this strategy-filled guidebook to connect students with the early work experiences they really want and make lifelong career satisfaction the rule, not the exception, for people with disabilities.

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Providing supports to youth with disabilities transitioning to adulthood: Case descriptions from the Youth Transition Demonstration

Post-school employment rates for youth with significant disabilities remain intractably low. An important policy concern is whether youth who receive disability cash benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) are obtaining the necessary supports to make a successful transition to adult life. The SSA initiated the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) projects in an attempt to develop services and supports to assist youth in making a successful transition into adulthood.

This article provides a detailed description of the intervention components for the YTD projects and presents three case descriptions to illustrate how youth can potentially benefit from these services. The selected cases in this paper illustrate the potential for youth with disabilities to leverage project services and move into employment.