Pursuing Paid Employment for Youth with Severe Disabilities: Multiple Perspectives on Pressing Challenges

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · 2022 · 33 citations

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Public relations

The road to employment begins in high school. However, few youth with severe disabilities currently participate in paid employment before graduation. The purpose of this study was to map the breadth of barriers that can hinder youth from accessing this influential transition experience. We held individual ( n = 8) and focus group ( n = 16) interviews with 74 transition stakeholders, including parents, educators, adult agency staff, school district leaders, and local employers. Collectively, they identified 47 barriers falling within eight broad categories of challenges: school, student, family, workplace, service system, partnership, transportation, and community. Although there were areas of clear consensus, noticeable differences were evident in the concerns raised by each of these five stakeholder groups. We present recommendations for research and practice aimed at connecting more youth with severe disabilities to early work experiences that can change their post-school employment trajectories.

Perspectives of pre-employment transition services providers on preparing youth with disabilities for employment

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · 2020 · 37 citations

• Political Science
• Business
• Psychology

BACKGROUND: Improving employment outcomes for youth with disabilities requires strong collaborations between educators and adult agencies. The advent of pre-Employment Transition Services (pre-ETS) introduces a new context for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to come alongside schools in preparing youth with disabilities for the world of work. OBJECTIVE: This study examines how providers of pre-ETS view the career-related transition practices and employment prospects of youth with disabilities. METHODS: We examined the perspectives of 164 providers on pre-ETS and the employment needs of the students with disabilities whom they served. RESULTS: Although providers expressed confidence in their knowledge of pre-ETS, they still desired additional training in each of the five core areas. Likewise, they viewed their collaborations with the school as positive, but expressed the value of establishing more extensive collaboration. Overall, providers agreed that multiple barriers stand in the way of serving students with disabilities and that preparation for employment must be further strengthened. Some differences in views were found based on the community (rural versus non-rural) of providers. CONCLUSIONS: We offer recommendations for research, policy, and practice to aid providers in preparing students with disabilities for employment.

Preparing Youth for the World of Work: Educator Perspectives on Pre-Employment Transition Services

Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals · 2020 · 56 citations

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Pedagogy

Effective collaboration among schools and agencies is critical to the success of pre-employment transition services (pre-ETS). We examined the views of 596 middle and high school educators regarding pre-ETS and the employment prospects of their students with disabilities. Educators overwhelmingly affirmed that youth with disabilities needed better preparation for employment, but they were more mixed in their familiarity with pre-ETS and its associated practices. Prevailing partnerships among schools and vocational rehabilitation agencies were described as uneven and fairly limited. Educators sometimes differed in their views based on school level (i.e., middle versus high school) and community type (i.e., rural versus non-rural). We offer suggestions for research and practice aimed at enhancing the employment preparation and outcomes of youth with disabilities.