Transition for Young People with Disabilities: Challenges for the 1990's.

This paper discussed developments in transition for young people with disabilities. Progress in transition over the last decade is described. Topics include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, positive legislative advances, advances in behavioral and rehabilitative technology, family and student attitudes, and impact of Federally funded model demonstrations. Within the past decade transition for youths bipartisan bill would encourage national with disabilities from school to adulthood has testing of students, school-to-work pro been a consistent goal for persons and famigrams, technical assistance and occupa lies in special education, rehabilitation, vocational certification. It would also require tional education and other related discicompanies that don't already invest in plines. Rarely has one topic dominated the training to pay into a state-administered field the way transition has for such a sustraining fund. " (October 13, 1991) tained duration. This continues to be an excit ing area that has cut across the Reagan adminIf one had reviewed the transition litera istration and into the Bush administration ture as little as 10 years ago, they would have and in which there continues to be strong bibeen hard pressed to find any mention of partisan support in Congress. For example, transition in the federal legislation. Identifi in September, 1991, companion versions of cation of specific sources of money for transi legislation titled High Skills, Competitive Worktion within the federal budgets would have force Act have been introduced in both houses been difficult as would have been finding a of Congress. Transition, vocational planning, distinct professional body of research litera and vocational training reflect the interests of ture in transition. However, in the past eight so many people in so many different profesto 10 years there has been a dramatic spawn sionai disciplines. There are, in fact, tens of ing of post-21 follow-up studies, increased au thousands of young people with disabilities thorizations and appropriations of state and who are leaving the public schools and who federal dollars in this direction and perhaps are looking for postsecondary opportunities most importantly, a heightened interest on in the community colleges, the work force, the part of parents, families, and individuals and for their rightful place in the community. with disabilities about the importance of The High Schools' Competitive Workforce Act planning for transition, has tremendous potential for the transition of The unemployment rate for people with young people with disabilities. A Washington disabilities continues to hover in the 50 to Post editorial recently reflects the potential 75% area depending on which survey you of this bill and, more importantly, current adchoose to review (U.S. Commission on Civil ministrative and legislative thinking. For exRights, 1983). Such levels of unemployment ample the Post writes: are clearly unconscionable and unacceptable -T-L ry u ci i. ^ • • T. , i as we move into the 21st century. Further . The High Skills, Competitive Work, „„„ . ' r c . • j . ■ >. , more the 25-30% drop-out rates of young torce Act, introduced in Congress last , ,r . , . ° , , f , , , . people with disabilities is also very disturbing, week, charts a federal role. The sprawhng te . i , , , ,««« , p 8 Table 1 shows the 1987-1988 drop-out rates in all 50 states. It has become abundantly Correspondence concerning this manuscript clear to those professionals in the field, as should be addressed to Paul Wehman, RRTC, Virwell as concerned family members, that truly ginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA the only way to alter this disturbingly high 23284. unemployment and drop-out rates is to signif 112 / Education and Training in Mental Retardation-)une 1992 This content downloaded from 157.55. 39.104 on Mon, 20 Jun 2016 05:31:58 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms