Article 2017

College to career ready: Innovative practices that lead to integrated employment

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
Journal · Vol. 46 · Issue 3 · pp. 327-332
Abstract

BACKGROUND: With recent legislative and funding support from the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008) and Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act (2015), many colleges and universities are expanding to serve a wider range of students, including individuals with intellectual disability (ID). OBJECTIVE: This practice brief shares how one fully inclusive postsecondary (PSE) program in the southeastern United States provides PSE and vocational training to successfully connect 80 of their program graduates to integrated employment outcomes after graduation with reported long-term success. CONCLUSION: Details are shared on how the PSE program established more than 40 internships and collaborated with various employers, family members, natural supports, coworkers, and community members to achieve successful employment opportunities both during and after college experiences. Finally, specific innovative practices used in this PSE program related to a) career interests/assessments, b) person centered planning practices to determine support needs, c) advising and college course planning, d) setting up internships and paid work experiences, e) evaluation and observation of work performance, and f) connecting back to the community with video resumes are also shared. © 2017-IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Vocational training intellectual disability postsecondary education Integrated employment person centered planning

Index Keywords

Employment human Article Vocational education employer United States career intellectual impairment Social support job performance Work experience education program community integration family college coworker
Author Affiliations
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, United States
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 1 Reference
1 Think College National Coordinating Center Annual Report on the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities 2013 2014, (2015)
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