The Tools You Need
These are our favorite resources we've gathered to incorporate into our work aimed at helping people with disabilities achieve their employment goals.
Advocacy
- Whose Future Is It Anyway? - Helps prepare students for their IEP meetings and gain self-determination skills. Comes with a Coach’s Guide that outlines the lessons, how to teach them, the roles of the students and teachers, as well as expected outcomes. Developed by The Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR).
Age 18 Redetermination
- What You Need to Know about Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18 - From the Social Security Administration
Assessments
- Pre-ETS Student Self-Assessment - A student self assessment for all five required activities under pre-employment transition services that calculates percentages within each Pre-ETS activity. From Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB).
- Career One-Stop - Your source for career exploration, training, and jobs.
- Taking Assessments - An activity for students to reflect on their experiences with taking assessments, explore the idea of assessments as tools for self-discovery and growth, and express their concerns and expectations regarding taking assessments. From T-Folio.
- Values - Lesson plan and activities to help students determine their values and to prioritize them. Developed by the Utah State Office of Education.
- Work/Team Styles
- Learning Style - Have you ever wondered why you do better in some classes than others? It may depend on your individual learning style. Your learning style influences the way you understand information and solve problems.
- Character Assessment - The stronger your character, the more attractive you are as a potential job candidate.
- Personality Type Assessment - Take the Myer's Briggs Personality Test and get a “freakishly accurate” description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.
- Photo Career Quiz - This super-quick quiz doesn't require any reading at all—just choose the images that appeal to you most and discover how your choices can point you toward your ideal career.
- Career One-Stop: Find Your Interests - Tell us what you like to do and what you don’t like to do. We’ll show you careers that fit your interests.
- Career Clusters Interest Survey - Everyone has a different way to describe themselves and what they like to do. This survey lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities, and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests.
- Teen Activity: Disclosure > Self-Assessment - Are you an expert on your disability? Answer these questions to see how much you know about yourself.
- Personal Preferences Indicator: A Guide for Planning - A guide to learn the personal preferences of a person with a developmental disability. From the University of Oklahoma.
- Employment Readiness Checklist for Students with Disabilities Exiting High School - A self-assessment tool to determine the status of employment readiness and serve as a guide for further employment preparation. Developed by Florida's Project 10: Transition Education Network.
- ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment - A tool for educators to measure students' self-determination skills and progress in the ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Curriculum.
benefits counseling
- Benefits and Work Estimator - A tool for people aged 18-64 using public disability benefits to see how a work plan could help their situation. From Disability Hub MN.
- Work Incentive Fact Sheets - Fact sheets about various state and federal work incentive programs for people with disabilities who are working, training for a career, or who may be beginning a job search. From the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.
- Wisconsin Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) - Your local aging and disability resource center (ADRC) is the first place to go to get accurate, unbiased information on all aspects of life related to aging or living with a disability.
- Ticket to Work: Find Help to Achieve Your Work Goals - Ticket to Work service providers offer Social Security disability beneficiaries (persons who receive SSI or SSDI) age 18 through 64 who want to work with free job support. Services offered may include job coaching, job counseling, training, benefits counseling and job placement.
- What You Need to Know about Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18 - From the Social Security Administration
- Benefits and Working - Learn more about Work Incentives and other resources to achieve your work goals and keep needed benefits like health insurance - from the Before Age 18 website
Business Engagement
- nepris - Connects educators and learners with a network of industry professionals, virtually, bringing real-world relevance and career exposure to all students.
- Building Relationships with Employers - from Project E3: Educate, Empower and Employ – the technical assistance center for targeted communities. Presented by Tim Riesen, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Center for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Utah State University.
- Project E3 Webcast: Building Relationships with Employers
- Communities of Practice hosted by WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center) - Join the conversations within these communities: Blindness Agency Community of Practice, Business Engagement, Career Pathways, Customized Employment, Labor Market Information (LMI), Self-Employment, and Supported Employment Policies and Procedures
- Engaging Employers: A Guide for Disability and Workforce Development Service Providers - from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion.
- A Guide to Networking with Businesses - by the Center on Transition Innovations
- Return-to-Work Toolkit for Employees & Employers - from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
- Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) - A free resource that helps employers tap the benefits of disability diversity by educating public- and private-sector organizations on ways to build inclusive workplace cultures.
- Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) Employer Tools
- Disability:IN - Empowering business to achieve disability inclusion and equality.
Career Pathways
- Communities of Practice hosted by WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center) - Join the conversations within these communities: Blindness Agency Community of Practice, Business Engagement, Career Pathways, Customized Employment, Labor Market Information (LMI), Self-Employment, and Supported Employment Policies and Procedures
Career Planning and Job Exploration
- Where R U Now? - Guides, activities and checklists to help students evaluate where they are in the career exploration process. From Virginia Career VIEW.
- All About You! - Activities to help students discover careers related to their interests, skills and personality characteristics. From Virginia Career VIEW.
- Career Planning and Exploration - Activities to guide students gather information about themselves, explore their future, and uncover jobs they may be good at. From explore-work.com.
- Putting it All Together – The Career Development Checklist - Activities for students to apply what they've learned from career exploration. Developed by Indiana Department of Education.
- Photo Career Quiz - This super-quick quiz doesn't require any reading at all—just choose the images that appeal to you most and discover how your choices can point you toward your ideal career.
- Career One-Stop: Find Your Interests - Tell us what you like to do and what you don’t like to do. We’ll show you careers that fit your interests.
- Career Clusters Interest Survey - Everyone has a different way to describe themselves and what they like to do. This survey lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities, and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests.
- Career Counseling for Students with Significant Disabilities: Strategies for Success - from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
- Dr. Kit Career Videos - Employees in different professions answer questions about their jobs.
- Career Exploration Videos - Provides students with information on how to navigate their career based upon a specific set of interests and values, and asks real people in real jobs how they make it all work. Developed by Khan Academy.
- “I Love My Job” Video Series - Highlights different types of careers that people say they really love doing and why. From Safeshare.tv
- O*Net Career Exploration Tools - A set of self-directed career exploration/assessment tools to help people consider and plan for careers. Developed by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration.
- Virginia Career View - A one-stop career exploration shop with many resources available in Spanish. From the Virginia Department of Education.
- Improve Employment Outcomes by Utilizing Career-Related Lesson Plans - Lesson plans for teachers of students with visual impairments, transition counselors, and employment specialists. Includes ideas and activities relevant to career exploration, preparation for employment, and navigating the employment process. Developed by CareerConnect.
- Project E3 Job Exploration Resources
community resources
- Supporting Independent Living through Affordable, Inclusive Housing - Provides information and resources for school professionals, students and families regarding housing options for students with disabilities. Developed by Florida's Project 10: Transition Education Network.
- Wisconsin Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) - Your local aging and disability resource center (ADRC) is the first place to go to get accurate, unbiased information on all aspects of life related to aging or living with a disability.
- Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs): Find an ADRC - Your local aging and disability resource center (ADRC) is the first place to go to get accurate, unbiased information on all aspects of life related to aging or living with a disability.
- Independent Living Centers for all States and Territories - Find the State Plan for Independent Living (SPILs) and Centers for Independent Living (CILs) for each state and territory in the U.S. listed alphabetically by abbreviated state name.
Customized Employment
- Essential Elements of Customized Employment - Customized Employment Essential Elements & Recommendations for Customized Employment Practices were developed to define and elaborate customized employment service delivery from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) and the Youth Technical Assistance Center (Y-TAC).
- Communities of Practice hosted by WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center) - Join the conversations within these communities: Blindness Agency Community of Practice, Business Engagement, Career Pathways, Customized Employment, Labor Market Information (LMI), Self-Employment, and Supported Employment Policies and Procedures
- Project E3 Resource Roundup: Customized Employment
- WINTAC Essential Elements of Customized Employment
Disability Disclosure
- Teen Activity: Disclosure > Self-Assessment - Are you an expert on your disability? Answer these questions to see how much you know about yourself.
- Teen Activity: Get to Know Your Disability: Interview
- 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities - from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)
- Tools for Finding Employment: Disclosing a Visual Impairment - Guides youth through thinking through disclosure of a visual impairment so they understand options and potential consequences, both positive and negative. From CareerConnect.
- How to Disclose a Disability to Your Employer (and Whether You Should) - from the New York Times
- Disclosing a Disability from the Career OneStop
- Job Accommodation Network Disability Disclosure
Employment
- S’Cool Store – Small Business Concepts - introduce students with disabilities to small business concepts as they work through setting a goal, developing a business plan, and putting the plan into action. From the State of Alaska Vocational Rehabilitation.
- Career One-Stop - Your source for career exploration, training, and jobs.
- Classroom Activities & Worksheets: Find a Job - Activities and worksheets about job searching and work-readiness information. From Minnesota Programs of Study.
- Non-traditional Career Resources, University of Hawaii
- Non-traditional Career Resources, Minnesota State CAREERwise
- Career Clusters - framework used by many schools and state agencies to organize career information including employment and wage data, education and training assignments, and projected job openings.
- My Next Move
- Photo Career Quiz - This super-quick quiz doesn't require any reading at all—just choose the images that appeal to you most and discover how your choices can point you toward your ideal career.
- Career One-Stop: Find Your Interests - Tell us what you like to do and what you don’t like to do. We’ll show you careers that fit your interests.
- Career Clusters Interest Survey - Everyone has a different way to describe themselves and what they like to do. This survey lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities, and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests.
- Employment Resource Guide for Youth - A guide to successfully prepare students with disabilities for competitive integrated employment. From the Minnesota Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
- Tips & Steps for Job Coaching Students with Disabilities - from the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
- What is a Job Coach? An Overview of the Role of a Job Coach in the Workplace - from Project E3: Educate, Empower, and Employ.
- Instructional Strategies for Acquisition and Maintenance of Customized Job Tasks - for Project E3: Educate, Empower and Employ – the technical assistance center for targeted communities. Presented by Tim Riesen, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Center for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Utah State University.
- Innovative Job Placement Strategies - for Project E3: Educate, Empower and Employ – the technical assistance center for targeted communities. Presented by Ashley Johnson Cross of BIG Consulting.
- Project E3 Webcast: Innovative Job Placement Strategies
- The Effectiveness of Customized Employment for Transition-age Youth with Disabilities - for Project E3: Educate, Empower and Employ – the technical assistance center for targeted communities. Presented by Jennifer McDonough, M.S., Project Director, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
- Who Can Assist Me with Developing a Resume? - A list of (mostly) brick and mortar agencies who can assist you in your resume development. Published by Career Connect.
- Interview Preparation: Common Interview Questions for Job Seekers with Vision Loss - An interview preparation guide for job seekers with vision loss. From CareerConnect.
- Getting a Job! for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Online training modules developed and designed for students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and the professionals who work with them.
- Transition to Work: Program Activity Guide - A WIOA program activity guide created specifically for teens who are visually impaired. Created for community rehabilitation program providers, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and teachers of students working to improve employment outcomes for teens and young adults. From CareerConnect.
- Ticket to Work: Meet Your Employment Team - Access to Employment Support Services for Social Security Disability Beneficiaries Who Want to Work
- Employability Skills Training - From Project E3: Social skills enable people to get along with others and create meaningful relationships in a community or in society. Employability skills training increases a person’s ability to work with others and function socially. It also teaches them how to adjust to workplace expectations, including written and unwritten rules and social norms.
- Accommodation and Compliance Series: Job Coaches - from the Job Accommodation Network
- DRIVE: Data and Resources to Inspire a Vision of Employment - The LEAD Center focuses on promoting innovation in policy, employment, and economic advancement to advance individual and systems level change for all people with disabilities.
- Respectability: Job Search Websites and Job Training Resources
Evidence-Based Practice
- Evidence-Based Practice Counselor Toolkit from Project E3 - This toolkit was developed specifically for VR Counselors working to improve employment and quality of employment outcomes for people with disabilities. It contains insights and instruction from the cumulative experience of VR service providers, community partners, rehabilitation researchers, and families and individuals with disabilities.
Family Advocacy
- Family-Advocacy Training - This training provides families with tools and strategies to advocate for their child’s future. The goal is to empower and strengthen families to open doors for youth with disabilities.
financial resources
- Your Money Your Goals Toolkit - The toolkit has information that helps you have money conversations with the people you serve. Use the tools to help achieve goals and work through challenges.
- Booklets to Help You Talk About Money - These colorful, compact booklets can help you talk with people about money topics that are important to them. Each booklet includes a selection of simplified tools from the Your Money, Your Goals toolkit—all focused on a common financial stressor.
- Measuring Youth Financial Capability Survey
- Practical Money Skills’ Lesson Plans - Lesson plans for students of all ages on topics ranging from basics for the very young, such as “What is Money?” to more comprehensive courses for young adults who are about to become financially independent.
- TheMint.org - Resources and tips for kids, teen, parents, and teachers on handling finances. Includes lessons on budgeting, credit, financial decision making, and the stock market.
- Money Smart for Young People - A series of four free age-appropriate curricula, including lesson plans for educators along with guides for parents and caregivers. From the FDIC.
- Assisting Students with Disabilities to Develop the Competencies Needed to Manage Their Own Financial Resources - Provides information and resources for school professionals, students and families regarding information to support the development of financial literacy of students with disabilities. Developed by Florida's Project 10: Transition Education Network.
- Financial Literacy and Capability - The LEAD Center’s work focuses on promoting innovation in policy, employment, and economic advancement to advance individual and systems level change for all people with disabilities.
- Money Resources - Loans, Budgeting, Credit Reports, Legal Help and much more…
health
- Relaxation Technique Cards: Practice Deep Breathing - Quick start guide to relaxation and stress reduction.
- My Plan to Manage Stress from Before Age 18 - No matter how old we are, we all deal with stress. Learn what works for you – get your custom plan to be less stressed!
- Before Age 18: My Plan to Get Better Sleep - Get tips on developing good sleep habits and ways to help you fall asleep.
- My Plan to Be More Active from Before Age 18 - Want to be more active? Improve your health and have fun – get your custom plan!
- Healthy Eating Activity from Before Age 18 - How can you improve your health by changing what you eat? Get your custom plan!
- Relaxation Technique Cards: Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Quick start guide to relaxation and stress reduction.
- Relaxation Technique Cards: Music for Relaxation - Quick start guide to relaxation and stress reduction.
- Relaxation Technique Cards: Practice Meditation - Quick start guide to relaxation and stress reduction.
- Preparing For Adulthood: Taking Charge of My Own Health Care - PACER Center’s Youth Advisory Board on mental health discuss topics related to transitioning from pediatric health care to adult heath care. This 4-part series includes topics on coordinating health care, how medical providers and teachers can help youth take charge of their own health care, preparing for medical appointments, and guardianship.
- Got Transition - Resources for health care professionals, youth, young adults, and their families to improve transition from pediatric to adult health care.
- Transitioning to Adult Health Care - Information and resources to support youth transitioning to adult health care. From the Minnesota Department of Health.
- Promoting Physical and Mental Well-Being as well as Safety for Students with Disabilities - Provides information and resources for school professionals, students and families regarding information supporting the health and safety of students with disabilities. Developed by Florida's Project 10: Transition Education Network.
- My Health, My Choice, My Responsibility - An group training program focusing on advocating for healthy choices on a daily basis. Topics include being a self-advocate at medical appointments, physical activity, nutrition, being safe and healthy at home, and feelings. Developed by the Westchester Institute for Human Development.
- Physical Activity Tools and Resources - We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.
- How to Quit Smoking - From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Use the Wellbeing Model to Reduce Stress - From the University of Minnesota - learn more about managing stress and taking steps to react to it in healthy, positive ways.
- Sleep: Taking Charge of Your Health & Well-Being - From the University of Minnesota - research shows that healthy sleep is a vital component of a flourishing life. Sleep deprivation, like starvation, can have damaging consequences to health and wellbeing. Learning to prioritize sleep in your life, create healthy sleeping patterns, and effectively manage sleep-related disorders can have a powerful effect on your overall well-being as well as the community, society, and culture within which you live and work.
- Self-directed Health Care Kit: Taking Charge of Your Own Health - from the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
- Disability and Health Information for Specific Groups - Disability and Health Promotion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Materials and Multimedia about Disability and Health - Disability and Health Promotion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities - Disability and Health Promotion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Healthy dating and relationships - Loveisrespect is the ultimate resource to empower youth to prevent and end dating abuse. It is a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
- Promote mental health and well-being - From MedlinePlus - an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.
- Tips for youth in managing health and well-being
- Promoting Health for Children and Adolescents - Get helpful factsheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Job Accommodations
- Accommodation and Compliance Series: Job Coaches - from the Job Accommodation Network
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN) - The leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
Juvenile Justice
- Introduction to the Juvenile Justice Toolkit - Learn more about this toolkit designed for Parent Centers assisting families of youth who have become involved in the juvenile justice system. From the Center for Parent Information & Resources.
- Reaching and Serving Students with Disabilities in Juvenile Justice - This webinar offers information and strategies for advocacy and outreach for students with disabilities in juvenile justice systems. Hosted by the RAISE Center and the Center for Parent Information and Resources.
Labor Market Information
- Non-traditional Career Resources, University of Hawaii
- Non-traditional Career Resources, Minnesota State CAREERwise
- Career Clusters - framework used by many schools and state agencies to organize career information including employment and wage data, education and training assignments, and projected job openings.
- My Next Move
- Considering Labor Market Information in Your Career Choice - Activities to introduce students to using labor market information to inform career goals. Adapted from Minnesota's Pre-ETS Toolkit with Resources.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook - A labor market tool supported by the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The Career Index Plus (TCI+) - A career information system that collects Labor Market Information (LMI) from a host of resources and deposits it onto a single, user-friendly site. Access is free and the data is the most recent available.
LGBTQ
- Trevor Support Center - Access information to help prevent suicide, as well as unique resources for LGBTQ youth.
Mental Health
- Relaxation Technique Cards: Practice Deep Breathing - Quick start guide to relaxation and stress reduction.
- Trevor Support Center - Access information to help prevent suicide, as well as unique resources for LGBTQ youth.
- Promote mental health and well-being - From MedlinePlus - an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.
Peer Mentoring
- Peer MentoringWorks - Overview of an online suite of training, tools, certification curricula and resources for State VR Agencies, Community Rehab Providers, Peer Mentor Coordinators and Peer Mentors working with transition-aged students in pre-employment programs. The model and training were developed by PolicyWorks.
Postsecondary Education
- College Navigator - A tool that allows students the opportunity to build a list of favorite schools, do side by side comparisons, pinpoint school locations, browse institutions with the lowest tuition and fees. From the National Center of Education Statistics.
- School Beyond High School - Youth activity from Explore-Work.com
- Questions for Disability Services from Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Examples of things students can tell Disability Services about themselves and some questions they can ask. Developed by Map It for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- College Visit Planning Questionnaire - Guide to help students evaluate colleges.
- Wisconsin’s Opening Doors to Postsecondary Education and Training Handbook - This handbook is intended to assist students and families in Wisconsin (and other states) with their plans for postsecondary learning.
- North Carolina’s Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability - This document provides a list and basic information on the PSET programs in North Carolina for college-age students with intellectual disabilities.
- Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities - from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services United States Department of Education
- Youth Action Steps: Education - from Before Age 18
- Postsecondary Education - Parents may have a lot of questions about the differences between high school and college, leading to insecurities about what will happen next. Below are questions that families frequently ask PACER staff about postsecondary education and accommodations.
- Postsecondary Education and Training Toolkit - The toolkit explains the array of post-secondary education and training options for young adults with disabilities after they complete high school. Developed by NTACT.
- Transition to College: Program Activity Guide for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired - A guide to help students who are blind or visually impaired better understand postsecondary options, determine the degree needed to succeed, create a plan for paying for college, and more. Developed by CareerConnect.
- FAQs About College from Families of Students with IDD - Answers to the most frequently asked questions about college options from families of students with intellectual disabilities. From Think College
- Khan Academy – College Careers - A comprehensive resource to help students make the most of their college application process. Tips on how to prep for an admissions interview, help brainstorming for a college essay, and advice on asking teachers for letters of recommendation.
- Florida Project 10 – Post-Secondary Education & Training - Provides information and resources for school professionals, students, and families regarding planning for postsecondary education and training as well as available options.
- Opportunities Guide and Workbook - The Opportunities guide helps high school students choose the right college, understand admission requirements, identify types of financial aid and more. From ECMC.
- Free College Resource Guides - Guides to accessing college as a homeless student, accessing college as an undocumented student, college admissions for home-schooled students, college tips for parents, and more. From ECMC.
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center - Resources for students with disabilities who are either planning to attend or who are exploring the possibilities of attending college after graduating from high school. From Indiana University, Bloomington.
- myFuture - Allows visitors to explore career, college, and military possibilities and gain insight into each option. Developed by the U.S. Department of Defense.
- Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities - From the U.S. Department of Education.
- Next Steps New Hampshire - This website provides resources on college, apprenticeship, and trade school options and planning resources for New Hampshire students. It includes resources regarding the roles of vocational rehabilitation services, as well as tips on important skills to develop in preparing for postsecondary education and training.
- Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options Reference Guide - This guide provides definitions, eligibility information, and planning documents for students and families as they plan.
- Florida’s Project 10 Guidance on Postsecondary Options - This website provides various guidance documents to assist students and families as they plan.
- Postsecondary Education Program Resources - from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
Pre-ETS
- Pre-ETS Student Self-Assessment - A student self assessment for all five required activities under pre-employment transition services that calculates percentages within each Pre-ETS activity. From Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB).
- Career Planning and Exploration - Activities to guide students gather information about themselves, explore their future, and uncover jobs they may be good at. From explore-work.com.
- Considering Labor Market Information in Your Career Choice - Activities to introduce students to using labor market information to inform career goals. Adapted from Minnesota's Pre-ETS Toolkit with Resources.
- Pre-Employment Transition Services: A Guide for Collaboration Among State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and Education Partners - Provides the processes and steps necessary to build effective collaboration at the local level between educators, VR counselors, parents and other staff involved in assisting students with disabilities in preparing for, obtaining, and maintaining competitive integrated employment. Developed by The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT).
- Parent Brochure Student Led IEPs - Suggestions for parents on how child can participate in IEP and become more self-determined. From the Minnesota Department of Education.
- Student-Led Individualized Education Program (IEP) Rubric - This rubric is to be completed with the student to determine his/her level of participation in the student-led IEP process. From the Minnesota Department of Education.
- Work-Based Learning Experiences - This lesson helps youth gauge their interest in a particular career through experiential learning opportunities, such as informational interviews and job shadows. They will learn what employers look for when hiring and supervising employees. From T-Folio.
- National Deaf Center: Pre-ETS Guide
- Explore-Work.com Training - Online training to help youth explore their future — follows the five Pre-ETS training topics.
- National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
- CRP Pre-ETS Guidebook: Strategies for Community Rehabilitation Providers to Collaborate on Pre-ETS - from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
Self-Advocacy
- Dude, Where’s my Transition Plan? - Multiple transition planning worksheets as well as checklists and discussions of self-advocacy that speak directly to youth with disabilities, From PEATC, the PTI for Virginia.
- Teen Activity: How Well Do You Know Yourself?
- Let’s Get To Work – Self-Determination Handbook - Provides information and resources related to the development of student engagement, self-determination, and self-advocacy and leadership skills.
- Georgia Transition Manual – Self Determination - A comprehensive self-determination and self-advocacy guide for students with disabilities.
- Connecticut’s Stepping Forward – Self-Advocacy Guide - Created for middle and high school students with disabilities as an instructional tool for the development of self-advocacy skills and transition planning.
- Personal Preferences Indicator: A Guide for Planning - A guide to learn the personal preferences of a person with a developmental disability. From the University of Oklahoma.
- In the Driver’s Seat: Six Workshops to Help with Transition Planning and Self Advocacy for Youth with Special Needs - Youth experience hands-on learning that helps them achieve adult, life goals. With encouragement and support, young adults identify their skills, interests, and needs, and work toward improving their ability to self-advocate. From the Vermont Family Network.
- Roadtrip Nation - Stories of people who overcame challenges and defined success for themselves, like Gary Vaynerchuk, John Legend, Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, and more.
- Map It: What Comes Next Module - Provides lesson plans, materials, and resources needed for educators and professionals to actively engage and guide students in the development of their self-determination and self-advocacy skills. From the Described and Captioned Media Program.
- Building Self-Advocacy and Self-Care Management Skills - Suggestions and insights for parents to build their youth’s self-advocacy skills at home, especially with respect to health care and management. Includes videos. From the PACER's National Parent Center on Transition and Employment.
- ME! Lessons for Teaching Self-Awareness & Self-Advocacy. - Developed to help educators teach students critical transition skills. Lessons include self-advocacy, learning rights, improving communication skills. From the Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment, University of Oklahoma.
- Self-Advocacy: Tips for Teens - A short tip sheet to learn about self-advocacy. At the bottom, enjoy the two videos of youth with disabilities talking about their own self-advocacy. From the Utah Parent Center.
- Whose Future Is It Anyway? - Helps prepare students for their IEP meetings and gain self-determination skills. Comes with a Coach’s Guide that outlines the lessons, how to teach them, the roles of the students and teachers, as well as expected outcomes. Developed by The Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR).
- Connect to a Mentor - Youth who have mentors are more likely to graduate from high school, have improved soft skills, and greater self-confidence. And these are just a few of the benefits!
- Healthy dating and relationships - Loveisrespect is the ultimate resource to empower youth to prevent and end dating abuse. It is a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Self-Determination
- Let’s Get To Work – Self-Determination Handbook - Provides information and resources related to the development of student engagement, self-determination, and self-advocacy and leadership skills.
- Georgia Transition Manual – Self Determination - A comprehensive self-determination and self-advocacy guide for students with disabilities.
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center – Self Determination - Gives access to a variety of publications, links to helpful organizations, fact sheets, and checklists pertaining to self-determination and self-advocacy skill development.
- ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment - A tool for educators to measure students' self-determination skills and progress in the ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Curriculum.
- Self-directed Health Care Kit: Taking Charge of Your Own Health - from the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
Self-Employment
- Communities of Practice hosted by WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center) - Join the conversations within these communities: Blindness Agency Community of Practice, Business Engagement, Career Pathways, Customized Employment, Labor Market Information (LMI), Self-Employment, and Supported Employment Policies and Procedures
- Project E3 Resource Roundup: Self-Employment
Social Security
- Ticket to Work: Find Help to Achieve Your Work Goals - Ticket to Work service providers offer Social Security disability beneficiaries (persons who receive SSI or SSDI) age 18 through 64 who want to work with free job support. Services offered may include job coaching, job counseling, training, benefits counseling and job placement.
soft skills
- Webinar: Soft Skills and Employability - Explore how soft skills become positive career attributes when using supported and customized employment techniques with individuals with disabilities. You will learn ways to support these individuals in exploring what makes them marketable. Let’s see where shaping professionalism, communication, and problem-solving skills can create successful employment outcomes!
- Employability Skills Training - From Project E3: Social skills enable people to get along with others and create meaningful relationships in a community or in society. Employability skills training increases a person’s ability to work with others and function socially. It also teaches them how to adjust to workplace expectations, including written and unwritten rules and social norms.
Supported Employment
- Core Features of Quality Supported Employment Services - from WINTAC
- Communities of Practice hosted by WINTAC (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center) - Join the conversations within these communities: Blindness Agency Community of Practice, Business Engagement, Career Pathways, Customized Employment, Labor Market Information (LMI), Self-Employment, and Supported Employment Policies and Procedures
- Supported Employment Handbook: A Customer-Driven Approach for Persons with Significant Disabilities Manual - Created by Valerie Brooke, Katherine J. Inge, Amy J. Armstrong, Paul Wehman
- Guide to Increasing Independence at the Jobsite - from the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
ticket to work
- Ticket to Work: Meet Your Employment Team - Access to Employment Support Services for Social Security Disability Beneficiaries Who Want to Work
- Ticket to Work: Find Help to Achieve Your Work Goals - Ticket to Work service providers offer Social Security disability beneficiaries (persons who receive SSI or SSDI) age 18 through 64 who want to work with free job support. Services offered may include job coaching, job counseling, training, benefits counseling and job placement.
Transition
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center - Transition resources—guides, fact sheets, checklists, tutorials, age-appropriate transition assessments, and videos. From the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center.
- Dude, Where’s my Transition Plan? - Multiple transition planning worksheets as well as checklists and discussions of self-advocacy that speak directly to youth with disabilities, From PEATC, the PTI for Virginia.
- Pathways to the Future - Sample lessons for life after high school for students with disabilities. Developed by West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services,
- Parent Brochure Student Led IEPs - Suggestions for parents on how child can participate in IEP and become more self-determined. From the Minnesota Department of Education.
- Student Led IEPs Teacher Resource - Description of student led IEP process, with student participation and involvement objectives. From the Minnesota Department of Education.
- Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities - from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services United States Department of Education
- WorkforceGPS - A community for youth workforce practitioners, stakeholder partners, and others to discuss and share promising practices, access technical assistance tools, and share knowledge and expertise with your peers across the nation.
- Youthhood’s Curriculum Guide - Information, links, and interactive activities for adults who work directly with youth to help youth plan for their futures.
- In the Driver’s Seat: Six Workshops to Help with Transition Planning and Self Advocacy for Youth with Special Needs - Youth experience hands-on learning that helps them achieve adult, life goals. With encouragement and support, young adults identify their skills, interests, and needs, and work toward improving their ability to self-advocate. From the Vermont Family Network.
- Work-Based Learning Experiences - This lesson helps youth gauge their interest in a particular career through experiential learning opportunities, such as informational interviews and job shadows. They will learn what employers look for when hiring and supervising employees. From T-Folio.
- Transition Tennessee – Post-Secondary Education - Students learn the steps to take to prepare for the workplace or further education after graduation. Great for students to learn on their own or with support from an instructor or family member.
- T-Folio – Transition Portfolio Tool - T-Folio is a free transition portfolio tool for high school age youth with disabilities. It is designed to guide youth in exploring, identifying, and planning for their desired post-school goals.
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center - Resources for students with disabilities who are either planning to attend or who are exploring the possibilities of attending college after graduating from high school. From Indiana University, Bloomington.
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center – Self Determination - Gives access to a variety of publications, links to helpful organizations, fact sheets, and checklists pertaining to self-determination and self-advocacy skill development.
- Student Engagement & Success - Provides materials and resources regarding student engagement for secondary transition success. From Project 10 Transition Education Network.
- Engage AL Transition App - This app assists high school age students with disabilities develop self-determination and self-advocacy skills. From the Alabama State Department of Education.
- Whose Future Is It Anyway? - Helps prepare students for their IEP meetings and gain self-determination skills. Comes with a Coach’s Guide that outlines the lessons, how to teach them, the roles of the students and teachers, as well as expected outcomes. Developed by The Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR).
- National Deaf Center: Pre-ETS Guide
- Explore-Work.com Training - Online training to help youth explore their future — follows the five Pre-ETS training topics.
- National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability - Find resources and tools to prepare youth for transition to adulthood
- National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
- CRP Pre-ETS Guidebook: Strategies for Community Rehabilitation Providers to Collaborate on Pre-ETS - from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
transportation
- Transportation Planning Resource Guide - Explore transportation options and learn about the questions to ask to find the best solution.
trending
- The Red Book – A Guide to Work Incentives - The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related information of the Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities.
- Wisconsin Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) - Your local aging and disability resource center (ADRC) is the first place to go to get accurate, unbiased information on all aspects of life related to aging or living with a disability.
Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) - Your local aging and disability resource center (ADRC) is the first place to go to get accurate, unbiased information on all aspects of life related to aging or living with a disability.
work incentives
- Benefits and Work Estimator - A tool for people aged 18-64 using public disability benefits to see how a work plan could help their situation. From Disability Hub MN.
- Work Incentive Fact Sheets - Fact sheets about various state and federal work incentive programs for people with disabilities who are working, training for a career, or who may be beginning a job search. From the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.
- The Red Book – A Guide to Work Incentives - The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related information of the Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities.
- Benefits and Working - Learn more about Work Incentives and other resources to achieve your work goals and keep needed benefits like health insurance - from the Before Age 18 website
Work-Based Learning Experiences
- Work-Based Learning Experiences Activities - from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
- Work-Based Learning Forms from Alaska
- Pathways: Work-Based Learning Programs
- Journey to a Successful Work Experience from the American Printing House for the Blind - This series of ten lesson plans is designed to provide professionals with a structured approach for helping teenagers who are blind or visually impaired seek and prepare for a summer work experience. Feel free to print out and adapt the lesson plans for your needs or the needs of the individuals you work with.
- Work-Based Learning Experiences Training - from Explore-Work.com
- Work Based Learning Measures Series - A resource on measuring student learning while participating in work-based learning experiences. From American Institutes for Research.
- Internships - How to find the right internship and what to look for in an internship. From myFUTURE.
- Work-Based Learning Experiences - This lesson helps youth gauge their interest in a particular career through experiential learning opportunities, such as informational interviews and job shadows. They will learn what employers look for when hiring and supervising employees. From T-Folio.
- Work-Based Learning, Illinois, WorkNet Center
- Resources for Setting Up Work-Based Learning, University of Minnesota, CAREERwise
- Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Plan
workplace readiness skills
- Classroom Activities & Worksheets: Find a Job - Activities and worksheets about job searching and work-readiness information. From Minnesota Programs of Study.
- Work Maturity Skills Bingo - Bingo card has a free space and 24 words related to work maturity skills. Print or play online. Developed by Bingo Baker.
- Character Assessment - The stronger your character, the more attractive you are as a potential job candidate.
- How to Run a JOBZ Club Manual - Alaska's JOBZ Club is a partnership between state and local agencies to provide Work Readiness Skills (Soft Skills) that students with disabilities need to get and keep a good job.
- Real Career Effective Employability Skills - Lessons to help students learn the vital employability skills, attitudes, and behaviors they need to succeed in the today’s dynamic job market. Created by RealityWorks.
- Essential Skills to Getting a Job: What Young People with Disabilities Need to Know - from the Office of Disability and Employment Policy (ODEP)
- Habits of Work - A soft skills curriculum for use by itself or with extended learning opportunities, internships, and other work-related learning experiences. From Keene State College, NH.
- Workplace Skills Curriculum - This course emphasizes skills needed to successfully prepare young people for the work environment and shows relevance of academic classes to future career and educational goals. From the Utah Education Network.
- Dr. Kit – What Are Essential Skills? - Short videos designed to get youth thinking about your their behavior and how they can improve their essential skills.
- Essential Skills to Getting a Job: What Young People with Disabilities Need to Know - A summarized list of skills needed to get a job, including a resource listing of curriculum and materials that can be used by workforce preparation staff. From the office of Disability Employment Policy, US Department of Labor.
- Soft Skills - The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD) provides resources describing soft skills and guidance on how to develop these skills.
- Employment Readiness Checklist for Students with Disabilities Exiting High School - A self-assessment tool to determine the status of employment readiness and serve as a guide for further employment preparation. Developed by Florida's Project 10: Transition Education Network.
- Teaching Virginia’s Workplace Readiness Skills - Instructional modules for positive work ethic, diversity awareness, creativity and resourcefulness, reading and writing, critical-thinking and problem-solving, life-long learning, job-specific mathematics, and telecommunication. From the Virginia Department of Education.
- T-Folio’s Unit 4: Workplace Readiness Training - Assists youth create a résumé and elevator speech that will help them in applying and interviewing for jobs. From T-Folio in Washington state.
- Employability Skills Training - From Project E3: Social skills enable people to get along with others and create meaningful relationships in a community or in society. Employability skills training increases a person’s ability to work with others and function socially. It also teaches them how to adjust to workplace expectations, including written and unwritten rules and social norms.
- Life Skills Training - Casey Life Skills (CLS) is a free tool that takes a look at the behaviors and competencies youth need to achieve their long-term goals. It aims to set youth on their way toward developing healthy, productive lives.
- Skills to Pay the Bills - A curriculum developed by ODEP focused on teaching “soft” or workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities.
Youth
- The Effectiveness of Customized Employment for Transition-age Youth with Disabilities - for Project E3: Educate, Empower and Employ – the technical assistance center for targeted communities. Presented by Jennifer McDonough, M.S., Project Director, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Youth Engagement
- Student Engagement & Success - Provides materials and resources regarding student engagement for secondary transition success. From Project 10 Transition Education Network.
Youth Resources
- 100mentors - Students ask questions, experts answer. In 100 second videos.
- S’Cool Store – Small Business Concepts - introduce students with disabilities to small business concepts as they work through setting a goal, developing a business plan, and putting the plan into action. From the State of Alaska Vocational Rehabilitation.
- Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center - Transition resources—guides, fact sheets, checklists, tutorials, age-appropriate transition assessments, and videos. From the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center.
- Career Planning and Exploration - Activities to guide students gather information about themselves, explore their future, and uncover jobs they may be good at. From explore-work.com.
- School and Work Estimator - A tool for people under 25 to see how working and staying in school could help them. From Disability Hub MN.
- Classroom Activities & Worksheets: Find a Job - Activities and worksheets about job searching and work-readiness information. From Minnesota Programs of Study.
- Dude, Where’s my Transition Plan? - Multiple transition planning worksheets as well as checklists and discussions of self-advocacy that speak directly to youth with disabilities, From PEATC, the PTI for Virginia.
- Before Age 18 - For youth with disabilities and their families, get ready to consider choices, explore the possibilities, and take action now to prepare for age 18!
- Learning Style - Have you ever wondered why you do better in some classes than others? It may depend on your individual learning style. Your learning style influences the way you understand information and solve problems.
- Personality Type Assessment - Take the Myer's Briggs Personality Test and get a “freakishly accurate” description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.
- Teen Activity: Disclosure > Self-Assessment - Are you an expert on your disability? Answer these questions to see how much you know about yourself.
- Teen Activity: Get to Know Your Disability: Interview
- Teen Activity: How Well Do You Know Yourself?
- Employment Resource Guide for Youth - A guide to successfully prepare students with disabilities for competitive integrated employment. From the Minnesota Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
- Connecticut’s Stepping Forward – Self-Advocacy Guide - Created for middle and high school students with disabilities as an instructional tool for the development of self-advocacy skills and transition planning.
- Student-Led Individualized Education Program (IEP) Rubric - This rubric is to be completed with the student to determine his/her level of participation in the student-led IEP process. From the Minnesota Department of Education.
- Personal Preferences Indicator: A Guide for Planning - A guide to learn the personal preferences of a person with a developmental disability. From the University of Oklahoma.
- Career Exploration Videos - Provides students with information on how to navigate their career based upon a specific set of interests and values, and asks real people in real jobs how they make it all work. Developed by Khan Academy.
- Work-Based Learning Experiences - This lesson helps youth gauge their interest in a particular career through experiential learning opportunities, such as informational interviews and job shadows. They will learn what employers look for when hiring and supervising employees. From T-Folio.
- Youthhood.org - A website designed for youth to think about what they want to do with their future. It can be used with a teacher, mentor, parent, friend or individual. Developed by the University of Minnesota.
- Getting a Job! for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Online training modules developed and designed for students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and the professionals who work with them.
- Transition to Work: Program Activity Guide - A WIOA program activity guide created specifically for teens who are visually impaired. Created for community rehabilitation program providers, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and teachers of students working to improve employment outcomes for teens and young adults. From CareerConnect.
- A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth - A resource that covers a wide range of topics and best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people. From the Trevor Support Center.
- Talking about Race - A series of webpages on talking about race with materials organized by theme or topic. From the Center for Parent Information and Resources.
- ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment - A tool for educators to measure students' self-determination skills and progress in the ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Curriculum.
- National Deaf Center: Pre-ETS Guide
- Explore-Work.com Training - Online training to help youth explore their future — follows the five Pre-ETS training topics.
- National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability - Find resources and tools to prepare youth for transition to adulthood
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