WVSA arts connection, a non-profit arts-in-education organization located in Washington, DC, serving children and youth with special needs for over 20 years, has developed the ARTiculate Employment Training Program 1 , a community-based learning program that combines arts-based instruction and a unique environment with the elements of education, community inclusion, and enterprise to promote participant achievement in the transition from school to the world of work. These components form the bases for teaching vocational, social and entrepreneurial skills. This article focuses on the interaction of these components and shows how the arts connect with 'real learning' using an innovative, non-traditional approach-a paradigm-shifting view of employment and social skills development in relation to youth with special needs. Transition Services Defined Transition can be defined as the passage from one state, stage, or place to another; movement, development, or an evolution from one form, stage, or style to another. Historically in the United States, transition services designed for youth with special