Planning the Transition to Employment

Get students with disabilities ready for integrated, competitive employment with this practical guide, the latest book in the Brookes Transition to Adulthood series. A must for transition coordinators, special educators, and employment specialists, this book embraces the widely used "Employment First" approach to career planning, which emphasizes integrated, competitive employment as the first and preferred option for all people, regardless of their disability.

You'll find tried-and-true strategies for helping students navigate each step of their transition, from beginning the early stages of career preparation (as young as Grade 7) to exploring job opportunities with local businesses and sustaining employment. And you'll get invaluable tools like the Implementing Transition Action Plan (ITAP) , a step-by-step quick-guide to help you plan, individualize, and implement the transition process described in the book. With this expertly organized how-to guide, you'll empower your students to pursue the career of their choice—and provide them with the tools they'll need for long-term success in the workplace.

• Put together a "collective impact team" at your school to support students' transition to employment
• Apply four essential recommended practices to help students achieve good employment outcomes
• Implement a person-centered planning process that puts the student in the driver's seat
• Help students identify their passions, preferences, interests, and learning styles
• Support students in exploring careers using online tools and internship opportunities
• Facilitate successful collaboration with adult services agencies
• Work with your local business community to identify job opportunities and connect students with potential employers
• Provide students with the supports they need for success on the job, such as assistive technology, modifications, and social skills training

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Case studies illustrate how to solve common obstacles to finding and keeping a job, and more than a dozen tools and forms—including the ITAP, the Job Observation Assessment Form, and a sample Employment Proposal—help you and your students navigate the road to employment.