Transcript Oregon Youth Transition Program 1989-2010 Successful Transition Outcomes Through Collaboration Jackie Burr, MA, MS Secondary Transition Specialist, Department of Education [email protected] Clayton Z.

Oregon Youth Transition
Program
1989-2010
Successful Transition Outcomes
Through Collaboration
Jackie Burr, MA, MS
Secondary Transition Specialist,
Department of Education
[email protected]
Clayton Z. Rees, MPA:HA, MS, CRC,
YTP Program Coordinator, (503) 945-6975
[email protected]
"We adore chaos because we love to
produce order." – M.C. Escher
Federal Requirements
• Section 101(a)(11)(D)
• The State plan shall contain plans, policies, and
procedures for coordination between the
designated State agency and education officials
responsible for the public education of students
with disabilities, that are designed to facilitate
the transition of the students with disabilities
from the receipt of educational services in school
to the receipt of vocational rehabilitation
services.
OREGON’S YTP - A MODEL OF
COLLABORATION
Why it works –
– Interagency collaboration
– Agency vested interest in outcomes
– Employer vested interest in outcomes
The Value of Working Together
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
SCHOOLS
COMMUNITY/AGENCIES
Purpose of YTP
• The Youth Transition Program (YTP) is a collaborative
program between
– the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, (OVRS)
– the Oregon Department of Education, (ODE) and
– local school districts with a team from the University of Oregon
contracted to provide training and technical assistance.
• The purpose of the program is to prepare
high school youth with disabilities for
employment or career related post
secondary education or training.
TWO AGENCIES—
ONE PURPOSE
DIFFERENCES
• IDEA 2004
• REHAB ACT
– Population
– IEP
– Transition Services
– Population
– IPE
– Transition Services
Commitment by Both Agencies
Interagency Agreement
Interagency Collaboration
Smooth Transition From IEP to IPE
Lessons Learned
• Transition for youth necessitates collaboration between service
providers at multiple levels (e.g., public schools, State Departments of
Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disability Services,
community colleges, etc.) on a consistent, ongoing basis.
• Collaborative funding and dedicated staff time in high school for
transition for students with disabilities is a cost-effective and
worthwhile investment.
• Youth need support and infrastructure to assist them in obtaining
meaningful employment.
• Community businesses are key partners in training and employing
youth with disabilities.
• Ongoing technical assistance and training is needed to facilitate
collaborations between stakeholders, meet the needs of specific
populations; and create capacity within local schools and VR offices.
Who does YTP serve?
• Over the last 20 years, YTP has provided direct
services and VR access for over 10,000 students
with disabilities statewide; YTP currently operates
in 105 high schools throughout Oregon.
• Geography.
• Regional and statewide training for stakeholders.
Student Demographics:
Disabilities
•
100%
Learning Disabilities
80%
Other health impairments
65%
60%
Emotional/behavioral
disturbance
Mental Retardation
40%
19%
20%
13%
12% 12% 8%
0%
% of YTP students
Speech/language
problems
Autism
Student Demographics: Barriers at
Entry
100%
Lack of
transportation
80%
Low
income/poverty
58%
60%
51%
No prior w ork
history
41%
40%
35%
23%
20%
0%
% of YTP Students
Difficult family
circumstances
Limited family
involvement
Key Features of the YTP model
• State level support for local capacity building
• Matching funding model: OVRS and local
school districts
• Dedicated staff time to provide transition
services; Individualized transition planning
• Collaboration between school personnel,
Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental
Disabilities, Brokerages, other service providers;
coordination of school and post-school service
provision and planning
Key Features of the YTP model
• Career development services – goal setting,
career exploration, job search skills, self advocacy
• Emphasis on paid employment – connection with
local employers, development of school-based
businesses, on the job assessment and training
• Positive adult mentoring and role modeling
• Flexibility and adaptability of program
components for each community
The Collaborative Process
• Networking – connecting with resources, e.g. mental health,
brokerages, employers, work assessment agencies, (Goodwill,
St Vincent DePaul), etc.
• Coordination – knowing when the time is right. Understanding
agency process, challenges, restrictions, etc.
• Cooperation – what are the requirements for eligibility and how
do we ameliorate that process without violating laws or rules?
• Collaboration – involves all the above and the willingness of
team members to equally share responsibility for the outcomes.
What Does Collaboration Look Like?
Collaboration
Kenneth Crow, DRM Associates 2002. By permission.
Data Collection
• Merging data to support agency outcomes
• VR – being consistent with RSA requirements.
• Education – supporting outcomes for IDEA
• Research – demonstrating best practices.
AMCHP award.
• Developing other programs – ACCESS
• Revenue – 2003 – 2005 YTP outcomes
Project ACCESS
• Accelerated Career Counseling and Employment Support
• Majority of students who do participate in YTP receive
services in Grades 11 and 12—our goal is to begin
developing awareness of transition-related needs in 9th
and 10th grades.
• Special Educators and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
both have strengths and unique skills. Our goal is to bring
those skills together to provide students with a unique and
meaningful experience.
• Provide these experiences to a greater number of students—
by targeting groups of students rather than individuals.
Overview
• Funded by OSEP Youth Grant
• UO role (TA; Evaluation)
• Purpose: Model Demonstration
– Youth Transition at younger age
– VRC in schools
– Family involvement
• Scaffolded Organization (grade level)
Need For Expanded Services
25,000
20,000
15,000
Number of Youth in OR
10,000
5,000
0
Adolescents with
Disabilities
Adolescents with
Disabilities in YTP
Overall Model Structure
State Team
Sites
Three High Schools
Informs Local Team and
Two Alternative Schools
Sites of State Level Changes
Develop and Implement ModelAssist with Dissemination and Problem Solving
Program
Local Team
Provides Direct Feedback to sites
Provides Feedback to State Team Regarding
Implementation
• To develop and implement a transition-related program for all students with
disabilities in five sites.
• Place a VR Counselor in site 1 day per week (Year 1) , 2 days per week (Year 2)to
work directly with special education teachers developing and implementing
model program. Time spent in schools should increase over project.
• Teachers and VR counselors plan a curriculum/sequence of experiences for
what information should be provided to students at grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 to
assist them in making positive post-school transitions.
• Working with families of students with disabilities, develop training model and
provide parents with training.
• This will be developed and implemented gradually to ensure program
integrity…….
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Plan &
Implement
Implement
Implement
Implement
Implement
Plan &
Implement
Implement
Implement
Implement
Plan &
Implement
Implement
Implement
Plan &
implement
Implement
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Additional Resources
• OREGON YOUTH TRANSITION PROGRAM
• http://www.ytporegon.org