Job Acquisition by Urban Youth With Disabilities Transitioning From School to Work

Abstract

Despite legislation promoting youth transition from school to employment, and despite growing knowledge of factors contributing to successful transitions, youth with disabilities continue to work at lower rates compared with their nondisabled peers. Over the past decade, efforts specifically directed toward reducing this intractable employment gap between these two groups of youth have met with relatively little success. Marriott Foundation's Bridges from School-toWork Program, a national multisite intervention offering paid competitive employment to high school youth enrolled in special education programs prior to school exit, addresses obstacles to labor market participation confronted by youth with disabilities, with an intensive, time-limited vocational intervention at seven inner-city urban sites across the United States. We found universally high job placement rates of a large sample of youth with disabilities enrolled in high school over several recent years of operation (2006 to 2011) across their sociodemographic and disability characteristics, and across diverse urban areas throughout the United States. Thus, we argue that educational, disability, and rehabilitation professionals should hold high expectations for employment success of these youth, regardless of their disabilities and the local economic conditions of the communities in which they live.

Intervention fidelity in a large scale model demonstration project: Lessons from Maryland PROMISE

“…Emerging research points to family engagement in youth transition and employment pursuits and work experiences during secondary school as strong predictors of post-school employment outcomes (Wehman et al, 2014). In particular, there is a growing body of contemporary evidence that work experience and paid integrated employment during secondary school years predicts successful post-school employment (Carter, Austin & Trainor, 2011;Gold, Fabian & Luecking, 2013;Test et al, 2009;Wehman, et al, 2014). Additionally, there is documentation of the need for low income families to develop financial literacy as they begin to increase earnings (Amsbaugh, 2007).…”

A Inclusão no trabalho sob a perspectiva das pessoas com deficiência intelectual

“…Apesar dos desafi os existentes, é fundamental a busca de ações que efetivem a inclusão da pessoa com DI no mercado de trabalho, uma vez que o ambiente de trabalho se constituir em um contexto de desenvolvimento, propiciando (ou não) a construção da identidade e de habilidades, a satisfação de necessidades básicas e de objetivos pessoais, a participação no desenvolvimento social e econômico da comunidade e o sentimento de valorização pessoal (Gold, Fabian, & Luecking, 2013;Kirsh et al, 2009;Lysaght, Cobigo, & Hamilton, 2012;Lysaght, Petner-Arrey, Cobigo, & Oullette-Kuntz, 2014;Nord et al, 2013;Nota et al, 2014;Vornholt et al, 2013). Além disso, as pessoas com DI podem ter aumentadas suas redes de convívio, estabelecendo relações sociais e profi ssionais com pessoas sem defi ciên-cia (Nota et al, 2014;Lysaght et al, 2012;Vornholt et al, 2013), reduzindo o isolamento social (Vieira & Denari, 2008).…”

Long term earnings and disability program participation outcomes of the Bridges transition program

“…To better understand the Bridges' model, we briefly summarize the description provided by Tilson, Luecking, and Donovan (1994) and Gold, Fabian, and Luecking (2013). (See also Tilson & Simonsen (2013) for a description of the personal attributes of Bridges staff.)…”

“…Luecking and Fabian (2000) looked at employment in the program's 6, 12, and 18 month follow-up data, finding differences by disability type. Recently, Gold, Fabian, and Luecking (2013) looked at site-level job placement by Bridges site from 2006-2011, finding that outcomes are responsive to the local setting and that placement was generally high for the served population in all settings. The current study expands these previous analyses by matching the Bridges' program data with SSA's administrative data to track individuals over a much longer follow-up period.…”