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##  Students with Disabilities in Career and Technical Education. ERIC              Digest.                                                                      

Career and technical education (CTE) can provide significant                    benefits to students with disabilities. CTE teachers need to be                 aware of the rights of students with disabilities and of the                    planning process involved in meeting their needs. In addition, CTE              teachers must know what role they play both in planning and in                  providing instruction. CTE teachers often need background                       information on the details of disabilities and the accommodations               required. This Digest provides information on students with                     disabilities for secondary CTE teachers. BENEFITS OF                          CTEResearch shows that students with disabilities in secondary              CTE programs were less likely to drop out and more likely to be                 employed, to have paid competitive jobs, and to work full time after            high school (Cobb et al. 1999; Colley and Jamison 1998). However,               CTE that included only simulated work experience in classroom                   settings did not appear to lead to optimal employment outcomes.                 Students with disabilities who had paid or unpaid work experience in            high school had better employment outcomes--higher wages, more                  hours, more continuous employment. Furthermore, students with                   disabilities mainstreamed into regular CTE or academic classrooms               obtained paid competitive jobs more often and felt better prepared              to keep their jobs. Qualitative studies reviewed by Eisenmann (2000)            imply that integration of academic and vocational curricula promoted            meaningful engagement and inclusion of students with disabilities by            increasing persistence, academic achievement, and postsecondary                 engagement. RIGHTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIESFour key                  federal laws define the rights of students with                                 disabilities (Ordover and Annexstein 1999). Two federal civil rights            laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of            the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, require access for students with                disabilities to all federally funded programs and prohibit                      discrimination based on disability in any aspect of public education            programs. The 1998 Perkins Act requires equal access for special                populations, including students with disabilities, to all vocational            programs, services, and activities and prohibits discrimination                 based on special population status. The Individuals with                        Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 1997, establishes              the right of students with disabilities to a free appropriate public            education, including special education, related services, and                   transition services. 
The Individualized Education Program (IEP)               mandated by IDEA draws on the results of a comprehensive evaluation             of the student's educational needs at least once every 3                        years (ibid.; Smith 2000). The IEP must identify the student's                  current level of educational performance; measurable goals and                  objectives; special education, related services, and other                      accommodations to be provided; and the extent of participation with             nondisabled students. The IEP must also specify how the student's               progress will be measured, how parents will be informed of progress,            and the extent of modification in state- and districtwide tests.                Beginning at age 14, the IEP must include a statement of transition             services the student will need to reach postschool goals; beginning             at age 16, the IEP must include a statement of transition services              to help the student prepare for leaving school. IDEA requires that              six participants be involved in the IEP meeting: the student (if                appropriate); a parent (and family if desired); at least one of the             student's special education teachers (or related services provider,             if appropriate); at least one of the student's regular education                teachers; a representative of the local educational agency; and                 other agency personnel with knowledge or expertise to meet the                  student's needs. THE PLANNING PROCESSThe planning process                 involved in IEP development includes three steps (Kohler 1998).                 First, the abilities, needs, interests, and preferences of the                  individual student are determined. Second, individual postschool                goals are developed based on abilities, needs, interests, and                   preferences. Third, instructional activities and accommodations,                modifications, and supports appropriate to the student's postschool             goals are identified. A variety of individuals must work together in            an effective IEP team, including special education, CTE, and                    academic teachers, program support staff, guidance counselors, and              school administrators. Other personnel are included as appropriate              to meet the individual student's needs--for example, speech,                    occupational, or physical therapists; adult service providers such              as rehabilitation or independent living counselors; and employers or            postsecondary education representatives. 
Effective planning for               activities and services that benefit students with disabilities and             improve postschool outcomes involves several broad practices (Kohler            and Hood 2000). Planning should be proactive, focused on individual             students, and driven by students and parents; it should involve                 student assessment, life skills development, and accommodations.                Planned educational activities should focus on school- and                      work-based experiences linking high academic and workplace                      standards, with integrated academic and vocational curricula for                employment skills and specific occupational instruction. Family                 involvement should be facilitated by training to increase parents'              knowledge and skills in advocacy, planning, support, and legal                  issues. Business, labor, and government and community agencies                  should be actively involved to provide resources, training sites,               and mentoring for students and educators. Finally, program policy               and structure should support needed partnerships, philosophy,                   planning, evaluation, and human resource development. ROLE OF THE             CTE TEACHERCTE teachers are only one member of the team that                plans and provides educational activities and accommodations for                students with disabilities. In IEP development and transition                   planning, CTE teachers' role is to provide information, support, and            assistance to others who lead the process. However, CTE teachers                play a primary role in providing instruction through school- and                work-based experiences and activities linking the two and in                    integrating academic and vocational instruction; in that role, CTE              teachers should receive support and assistance from others. IEP               DEVELOPMENTSpecial educators typically play the primary role in             identifying educational activities and accommodations that suit                 students' interests, aptitudes, abilities, and postschool                       preferences (Evers and Elksnin 1998). Trained vocational assessors,             if available, may use formal assessment tools, or special educators             can conduct informal assessments using data in school records;                  interviews with students, families, and previous instructors; or                published interest, aptitude, or skills instruments. CTE teachers               may be able to provide program inventories or assessment tools to               establish a student's readiness for specific occupational courses.              CTE teachers can also provide information on the instructional                  demands (e.g., prerequisite basic, interpersonal, reasoning, and                learning-to-learn skills) and setting demands (e.g., independent                work, self-monitoring, ability to stay on task). 
In particular,               CTE teachers can provide CTE-specific information (Division of                  Special Education 1999). That information would include                         occupationally specific courses of study, cooperative education,                apprenticeship, and career guidance and counseling services. CTE                teachers would also provide any formal program entry criteria (e.g.,            prerequisite courses or entry-level skills along with tests to                  assess them). Although students with disabilities must meet standard            program entry requirements, entry testing must allow any                        accommodations listed in a student's IEP for test-taking (e.g.,                 extended time, use of a reader). PROVIDING INSTRUCTIONCTE                 teachers have a larger responsibility in providing instruction for              students with disabilities, particularly school-based experiences.              CTE teachers must plan and provide school-based instructional                   activities that correspond with the goals and objectives of                     students' IEPs, including classroom and lab activities to teach                 occupationally specific skills and work-related behaviors (Kohler               1998). Planning activities that integrate academic and occupational             instruction requires collaboration and coordination between CTE and             academic teachers (Eisenman 2000). CTE teachers must also evaluate              and grade students' attainment of the IEP objectives on which                   instruction is based (Evers and Elksnin 1998). In addition, CTE                 teachers must either provide the instructional accommodations and               modifications specified in each student's IEP or work with special              education personnel who do so. 
CTE teachers also have an important            role to play in providing effective work-based experiences for                  students with disabilities, which can include field trips, job                  shadowing, school-based enterprises, career-related camps,                      apprenticeships, internships, cooperative education, work-study, and            part-time job placement (Hagner and Vander Sande 1998; Institute on             Community Integration 1998). CTE teachers may share responsibility              for contacting local employers; arranging sites and experiences that            meet employer and student needs; orienting employers to work-site               roles (coaches for instruction, mentors for social initiation and               inclusion); visiting sites to observe student work; and monitoring              student progress, work, and difficulties. Perhaps most important,               CTE teachers must plan and provide the connecting activities that               link school- and work-based learning--feedback sessions,                        discussions, journal writing, student presentations, projects, or               portfolios, for example. DISABILITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONSTo                meet the needs of students with disabilities, CTE teachers need                 background information on students' disabilities and on appropriate             accommodations (Vail and Mandiloff 1996). Only a brief discussion is            possible here; more details are available from such sources as the              National Information Center for Children and Youth with                         Disabilities: http://www.kidsource.com/NICHCY. In particular, CTE               teachers may need to correct stereotypes--for example, that                     entrepreneurial training and business ownership are not appropriate             options for students with disabilities (President's Committee on                Employment of People with Disabilities 2000). Accommodations can                include modified instructional methods (e.g., repeat and summarize              key points, use audiovisual aids, conduct oraltesting or alternative            assessments) or equipment (e.g., hand or foot controls, adjustable              tables); curriculum objectives might be adapted or supplemented to              meet specific student needs (Division of Special Education 1999).               CTE teachers should identify the assistance available from special              educators, tutors, paraprofessionals, or volunteers (e.g., providing            print materials in alternative formats, monitoring student work,                answering questions, developing teaching aids). 
So in a nutshell,             CTE teachers are one member of the team that helps students with                disabilities participate fully and meaningfully in high-quality                 educational programs. They play a key role in providing a strong mix            of all school programs--academic, functional,                                   occupational--carefully linked to each other and to work experience,            delivered with customized accommodations to meet students'                      individual needs, and embodying the same high expectations they have            of all students (Rutkowski and Riehle 2001). REFERENCESCobb,              B. et al. MEETING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES: HANDBOOK FOR            IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY-BASED VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS ACCORDING            TO THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT. 2D ED. Minneapolis: National                   Transition Network, Institute on Community Integration, University              of Minnesota, 1999. (ED 439 565)                                                http://ici2.coled.umn.edu/ntn/pub/hdbk/FLSAHDBK.pdf 
Colley, D. A.,            and Jamison, D. "Post School Results for Youth with Disabilities:               Key Indicators and Policy Implications." CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR                 EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS 21, no. 2 (Fall 1998): 145-160. 
Division              of Special Education. TRANSITION: SCHOOL TO POST-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES:             ACCESS TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.                  Jefferson City: DSE, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary            Education, 1999. (ED 436 895) 
Eisenman, L. T. "Characteristics and            Effects of Integrated Academic and Occupational Curricula for                   Students with Disabilities." CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR EXCEPTIONAL                 INDIVIDUALS 23, no. 1 (Spring 2000): 105-119. 
Evers, R. B., and               Elksnin, N. WORKING WITH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN                          VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SETTINGS. Austin, TX: PRO-ED, 1998. 
Hagner,              D., and Vander Sande, J. "School-Sponsored Work Experience and                  Vocational Instruction." In BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL: TRANSITION FROM                 SCHOOL TO WORK, edited by F. R. Rusch and J. G. Chadsey, pp.                    340-366. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1998. 
Institute on Community                 Integration. TRANSITION SERVICES: SCHOOL-TO-WORK OUTREACH PROJECT               1998 EXEMPLARY MODEL/PRACTICE/STRATEGY. Minneapolis: ICI, University            of Minnesota, 1998. (ED 420 801) 
Kohler, P. D. "Implementing a                Transition Perspective of Education: A Comprehensive Approach to                Planning and Delivering Secondary Education and Transition                      Services." InBEYOND HIGH SCHOOL: TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK,                edited by F. R.Rusch and J. G. Chadsey, pp. 179-205. Belmont, CA:               Wadsworth, 1998. 
Kohler, P. D., and Hood, L. K. IMPROVING STUDENT             OUTCOMES: PROMISING PRACTICES AND PROGRAMS FOR 1999-2000. Champaign:            Transition Research Institute, University of Illinois at                        Urbana-Champaign, 2000. (ED 448 563)                                            http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/sped/tri/kohlerdirectory2000.htm 
Ordover,              E. L., and Annexstein, L. T. ENSURING ACCESS, EQUITY, AND QUALITY               FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN SCHOOL-TO-WORK SYSTEMS: A GUIDE TO            FEDERAL LAW AND POLICIES. Washington, DC: Center for Law and                    Education; Minneapolis: Institute on Community Integration,                     University of Minnesota, 1999. (ED 434 422)                                     http://ici2.umn.edu/ntn/pub/fedlaw/cle.pdf 
President's Committee              on Employment of People with Disabilities. GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS:            A BLUEPRINT FOR CREATING AND SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURIAL                         OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. Washington, DC:                PCEPD, 2000. (ED 450 525) 
Rutkowski, S., and Riehle, E. "My                   Daughter Probably Won't Get a Football Scholarship...Now What Can We            Do?" National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical                     Education, Professional Development Speaker Series Webcast,                     Columbus, OH, October 10, 2001.                                                 http://www.nccte.org/events/profdevseries/20011010/index.asp 
Smith,           S. W. CREATING USEFUL INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (IEPS). ERIC            DIGEST E600. Arlington, VA: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and              Gifted Education. (ED 449 636) 
Vail, A., and Mandiloff, V.                    CULTIVATING OUR GARDEN: SERVING STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES             IN FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES. Ellenburg, WA: Family and Consumer             Sciences Education Association, 1996. (ED 419 346) 
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This               project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the            U.S. Department of Education under Contract No. ED-99-CO-0013. The              content f this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or            policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of                trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement            by the U.S. Government. Digests may be freely reproduced and are                available at http://ericacve.org/fulltext.asp.                               **Title:** Students with Disabilities in Career and Technical Education. ERIC              Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** For full text: http://ericacve.org/digests.asp.                              **Descriptors:** Career Development, Career Education, Compliance (Legal),                        Disabilities, Educational Legislation, Educational Resources,                   Federal Legislation, Individualized Education Programs, Integrated             Curriculum, Mainstreaming,  Outcomes of Education, Regular and                  Special Education Relationship, Secondary Education,  Teacher Role,             Technical Education,  Vocational Education, Vocational Education                Teachers                                                                     **Identifiers:** Americans with Disabilities Act 1990,  Career and Technical                     Education, Carl D Perkins Voc and Appl Techn Educ Act 1990, ERIC                Digests, Individuals with Disabilities Educ Act Amend 1997,                     Rehabilitation Act 1973 (Section 504)                                        
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