1988-89 DCDT PresidentIN 1992, JACK, a student who has learning disabilities, was 17 years old and had barely completed the requirements for 9th grade when he dropped out of high school. He had few, if any, entry level job skills. Now, at 21 years, he has held at least 10 different entry level jobs, none longer than six months. Jack has the social skills which enable him to obtain employment, but they are not so fully developed that they help him maintain it over any extended period of time. Earning a minimum wage, he can't afford to live independently, to purchase car insurance (due to his many driving violations), nor is he covered by health insurance because he is not employed full time. Unskilled and under educated, Jack has little hope of improving his quality of life or becoming totally independent. Because of his many past failures, Jack hates any type of school setting. Thus, he rejects adult education, Job Corps, community college, and vocational rehabilitation. What will happen to Jack?Unfortunately, Jack is not alone. So many students with learning disabilities, as well as students who have emotional and behavioral disorders, face similar circumstances when they drop out of school.More than 42.2% of the students identified with emotional disturbance and 63.9% of students identified as having learning disabilities drop out of school each year (Council of Exceptional

No abstract

No abstract

The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities (ACCD), an umbrella organization composed of over 95 major consumer (disabled) organizations and representing over 7,000,000 disabled individuals in this country, has been most active in the passage of federal legislation regarding handicapped issues and concerns. One such major concern has been the area of education, specifically P.L. 94-142, P.L. 94-482, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Because of ACCD's studies and findings regarding the tremendous unemployment and underemployment of disabled persons in this country, it has expressed active concern for the need to provide handicapped students with the opportunity for appropriate vocational education.Although vocational education is one of a number of viable work preparation options, recent data clearly indicate that handicapped students have not been included in many occupational clusters in any significant number. Because there are so many un-and underemployed disabled persons, and because in the past so few disabled persons have had the opportunity for obtaining vocational education, ACCD strongly urges its expansion to include handicapped students. THE PROBLEMIn light of the fact that over 1,000,000 disabled students in this country, particularly between the ages of 16 and 21 years, lack career and vocational skills to compete for jobs in their communities, there is cause for concern. Cause for concern is also reflected in the following statistics. 1) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, statistics report that, in 1976, 85% of handicapped people earned less than $7,000 per year, and 52% of this group earned less than $2,000 per year.