Policymakers

Career Development

Career development is a process in which all youth choose and prepare for careers that fit their interests, skills, and values through participating in the three phases of self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management. Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) are an important tool many states use to facilitate career development activities. In fact, 37 states and the District of Columbia have implemented ILPs for some or all students and note positive results. ODEP has produced the following career development resources in partnership with the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), Social Dynamics, Boston University, the University of Minnesota, and the Institute for Community Inclusion.

View general career development information and resources:

Career Planning Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving Youth with Educational and Career Development Challenges - This document includes guidance on selecting career-related assessments, determining when to refer youth for additional assessment, and information on accommodations, legal issues, and ethical considerations.
Career-Focused Services for Students with Disabilities at Community Colleges - This case study report examines the efforts of community colleges to function as intermediaries in meeting the local workforce development needs of employers and promoting career opportunities and job attainment for students, including those with disabilities.
Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring - This guide explains how to create and manage career-focused mentoring programs for youth with and without disabilities in all stages of their transition from school to work.

Other ILP Information and Resources

"Use of Individualized Learning Plans: Findings and Recommendations from a Multi-Method, Multi-Study Effort" - This report documents a 2007-2013 study to determine whether ILPs should be considered a promising college and career readiness practice and whether and how youth with disabilities are participating. As a tool available to all youth, and in conjunction with IEPs for youth with disabilities, ILPs show promise as an effective practice for strengthening the career development process and the connection between school and work, though the absence of a randomized control design necessitates further research.
"ILPs Across the U.S." - This interactive map provides a snapshot of current ILP policies in all 50 states and Washington, DC.
Using Individualized Learning Plans to Produce College and Career Ready High School Graduates - This policy brief explores how ILPs contribute to college and career readiness for all youth and includes recommendations for successful implementation.
ILP Fact Sheet - This fact sheet provides the definition of a quality ILP and an overview of research findings and best practices.

Inclusive Service

Volunteerism and work-based learning (both paid and voluntary) can provide critical preparation for all youth as they transition from school into the world of work. ODEP and the Corporation for National and Community Service have collaborated to create policy guidance and highlight resources to promote national service as an option for all youth, including youth with disabilities.

Policy Guidance Letter [ PDF | HTML ] - This letter explains the benefits of work-based learning and volunteerism, the link between service learning and competitive employment, and income exemptions for Social Security beneficiaries participating in AmeriCorps.
Use of Social Security Work Incentives to Promote Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs - This white paper provides an overview on the importance of work-based learning experiences and the current state of policy on the income exclusion for Social Security beneficiaries participating in AmeriCorps.
Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment (PDF) - This report discusses the link between service learning and achieving competitive employment.
Inclusive Service as a Pathway to Employment 25 Years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (PDF) - On July 29, 2015, the United States Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) issued a "Dear Colleague" letter to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its legacy of equal opportunity and inclusion. Two resources were highlighted. ODEP's Youth Technical Assistance Center, the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, released Fostering Inclusive Volunteering and Service Learning, a guide for youth service professionals and others interested in facilitating youth engagement in volunteer activities. It describes how youth benefit from inclusive volunteering, different types of volunteer opportunities, and ways to assist youth to prepare for, access, and learn from their experiences. The second resource, the Toolkit for AmeriCorps Alumni with Disabilities Transitioning to Employment, developed by CNCS is a collection of resources regarding pre-employment and employment issues for people with disabilities, special programs, government services, and mentorship and networking opportunities.

Apprenticeship

ODEP's apprenticeship initiative focused on increasing systems capacity to provide integrated inclusive apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with a full range of disabilities, including those with the most significant disabilities, and to utilize the increased flexibilities detailed in DOL's apprenticeship regulations, 29 CFR Part 29, issued in 2008.

This Training and Employment Notice No. 04-15 disseminates the following report and provides information and resources on promising strategies to promote the inclusion of youth and adults with disabilities in registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship.
This Training and Employment Notice No. 10-09 (PDF) describes an issue paper and toolkit on improving transition outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities through apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship Issue Paper (PDF)
Toolkit:

Youth Supplemental Security Income Recipients

ODEP funded the Evaluation of Initiatives to Improve Adult Outcomes and Employment Opportunities for Young Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to help identify where and how to best build on existing research and lessons from the field and to identify new and follow-up research questions and promising models or strategies that could be tested for assisting youth SSI recipients and those at risk of receiving SSI benefits with the transition to sustained, gainful employment.

Publications
- A synthesis of strategies, models, and definitions related to the employment of young SSI recipients
  The Potential Strategies to Improve the Employment Outcomes of Youth SSI Recipients report, documents promising strategies to promote sustained, gainful employment for youth with disabilities receiving SSI and those at risk of receiving SSI benefits in the future.
  The Transition to Employment: Better Data Needed to Identify Best Practices for Youth SSI Recipients (Issue Brief)
- A report and issue brief that identifies the target population of such interventions
  The Target Population Profiles report identifies potential target populations for interventions and the characteristics of youth SSI recipients who are most likely to benefit from these strategies. We consider three potential target populations: youth involved with SSI, youth involved with programs other than SSI, and other youth with disabilities.
  Youth Populations that Could Benefit from Employment Interventions (Issue Brief)
- A report and two issue briefs outlining a framework for selecting and testing innovations for this population
  The Considerations for Identifying Promising and Testable Interventions report identify promising interventions that could assist youth with disabilities. This report builds on findings from the project's first two reports, which summarized previous evidence on intervention models for youth with disabilities and options to identify target populations of youth.
  A Framework for Selecting Employment Interventions to Benefit Youth (Issue Brief)
  A Worksheet to Select Employment Interventions That Benefit Youth (Issue Brief)
- A description of the Community of Practice and its activities
  Community of Practice: Organizational Features and Lessons Learned report documents the role of, involvement in, and contributions of the Community of Practice (CoP) to the Supplemental Security Income Youth Recipient and Employment Transition Formative Research project.
  Youth Transition to Employment: Creating and Using a Community of Practice to Generate New Knowledge (Issue Brief)
- A report on collaborations between VR agencies and workforce development boards
  Many Hands Make Employment Work: Collaborations Between VR Agencies and Workforce Development Boards to Provide Work-Based Learning Experiences is a research brief that presents two examples of collaborations between state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and local workforce development boards to deliver programs that provide work-based learning experiences (WBLEs) to students with disabilities.
Topical Webinars
- Benefits Counseling as a Tool to Improve Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Receive Supplemental Security Income (Recording)
  Part one of this five-part webinar series explores how benefits counseling, when paired with other interventions, can improve employment outcomes for young people with disabilities.
- Employment Options for Youth SSI Recipients (Recording)
  Part two of this five-part webinar series showcases viable employment services and pre-employment transition services for youth recipients of Supplemental Security Income.
- Innovations in Education for Youth Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (Recording)
  Part three of this five-part webinar series highlights education interventions that engage students, families, and professionals and promote the seamless transition from school to work.
- Innovative Strategies to Improve Outcomes for SSI Youth Recipients: Case Examples from the PROMISE Model Demonstration Projects (Recording)
  Part four of this five-part series highlights three projects from the Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) Model Demonstration to share interventions tested and experiences with what works to improve the education, employment, and financial outcomes of youth SSI recipients.
- Innovations for Youth Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (Recording)
  Part five of this five-part series provides an overview of the activities and findings of the SSI youth project, including the experiences of and key lessons from the project's Community of Practice.