The University of Kansas (KU) has been awarded two grants that will allow them to collaborate with community leaders, disabled self-advocates, and families to ease the transition of young people with disabilities from school to vocational training, further education, and careers.
The two grants from the Administration for Community Living of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will fund various projects.
Key Takeaways:
- KU has received two grants to assist young people with disabilities in making the transition from school to vocational training, further education, and careers.
- The two grants come from the Administration for Community Living of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- The initiatives’ goal is to create long-term, research-based models that respond to unique community needs and can be scaled up across the country.
The three-year project will research ways to improve transitions to community living and competitive, integrated employment.
It will convene “Transition Councils” in seven Kansas towns to identify existing barriers to community support access and devise strategies to overcome them.
The Transition Councils will be made up of community members who support young people with disabilities and their families, including youth and adults with disabilities, family members, transition educators, and community independent living experts among others.
Moreover, a five-year project will partner with people with intellectual disabilities and family members to enhance collaboration across existing local systems in several Kansas communities.
In six Kansas communities, the five-year project will focus on strengthening collaboration among agencies that support young people with disabilities and their families.
The purpose of both programs is to develop research-based, long-term models that are responsive to specific community requirements and can be scaled out across the country.
According to Evan Dean, associate director of the KU Center on Developmental Disabilities at the Life Span Institute and principal investigator, both projects are deeply involved with engaging communities to identify and address barriers to successful transitions.
After finishing K-12 education, young individuals with developmental impairments may find challenges in moving to further education, vocational training, or competitive employment.
Researchers from KU have discovered that research-based self-determination therapies that encourage goal setting and action enhance outcomes for people with impairments significantly.
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