Pictured in photo [left to right]: Erica Price, Tammy Stoneking, Trina Hewlett, Jeff White, Shelby Jones, Dale Verstegen, Johnny Collett, and Sean Roy

Seamless Transition Pilot

Employment outcomes for students with disabilities, in general, lag behind their non-disabled peers. For students with the most significant disabilities, employment opportunities and outcomes are even worse. In 2019, about 43%of all youth with disabilities who exited high school in the previous year were competitively employed. For youth with autism, functional mental disabilities (FMD), and multiple disabilities (MD), that number was 13.2%. and, in fact, 56%of these students were not engaged in any employment or other postsecondary education.

The Kentucky Seamless Transition Pilot, a collaborative effort between HDI’s KentuckyWorks and Community Work Transition Projects, with the support of Sean Roy and Dale Verstegen from the YES!Center, is partnering with two Kentucky school districts – Simpson County and Montgomery County - to support youth an young adults with significant disabilities in finding competitive employment, by identifying participating students’ strengths, interests, and potential employment opportunities. The Pilot is working with the schools, employers, local Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, and families to create a plan that leads to meaningful work experiences for their student.  

In November, partners worked on-site with the two districts to engage parents in conversation about their child’s employment interests, needs, and opportunities. This process provided and opportunity for parents to: 1) Help school staff better understand student interests and strengths, 2) Suggest employers and help to connect to possible employment opportunities, and 3) Set the expectation that work is possible. The parent conversations helped to inform the ongoing development of a Student Positive Personal Profile that serves as the foundation for identifying work opportunities in the local community for each student.

In December, partners worked on-site with the two districts in approaching employers in the community to learn about their businesses and employment needs. These employer interviews will assist school staff in creating Employer Proposal Letters that specifically outline how individual students, based on their interests and abilities, could benefit the employer’s business. School staff from both districts have been very positive about the initial impact of the Pilot, and how these processes can assist them in their ongoing work to support youth an young adults with significant disabilities in finding competitive employment.

Staff from the Community Work Transition Program andKentuckyWorks will continue to support districts in their work to create meaningful work experiences leading to paid employment outcomes.  We look forward to learning more from the Pilot and how we may best support other districts in the state.