In this issue you will Find Topics On:
Calls to Participate
NCWD /Youth Seeks Applications for Professional Development Demonstrations
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/ksa/demo
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability/Youth (NCWD/Youth) is offering a professional development opportunity for youth serving organizations (and their partners). The Youth Service Professionals’ Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Professional Development Demonstration and Evaluation (YSP/KSA Demo) will provide partnering organizations in three communities with four free full-day interactive training sessions covering the necessary competencies for professionals who work with youth, including pre- and post-training capacity building and support for all sites. Participation is free (lead organizations will receive a stipend to cover administration costs); each site’s lead organization must be committed to professional development and evaluation, provide 25-30 trainees, engage two partner organizations, and meet other eligibility requirements.
Youth Transitions Collaborative Seeks Resumes from Youth with Disabilities
The Youth Transitions Collaborative is seeking the resumes of young people and young veterans with disabilities who are looking for work (full-time or part-time) in the private sector. These resumes will be incorporated into a database that will help employers connect with qualified young candidates with disabilities. The National Youth Transitions Resume Database will be national in scope and will be open to young people and employers from across the country. For more information or to submit a resume, contact ytf@aapd.com.
Pipelines of Talent Initiative
https://www.aapd.com/resources/power-grid-blog/aapd-introduces-dmd-pipelines.html
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), partnering with the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), created the Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) Pipelines of Talent initiative. Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign from the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. DMD, celebrated October 16 this year, is a highlight of NDEAM. Beginning in 1999, Disability Mentoring Day is the nation’s largest job shadowing program designed for Americans with disabilities. DMD connects mentors with students and job seekers with disabilities in order to expand employment opportunities and help close the disability unemployment gap. This multi-phase project aims to provide tools and resources developed by AAPD to assist with transitioning current DMD programs to year-round initiatives. AAPD recently selected Disability Mentoring Day Iowa as the first grant recipient of the initiative.
Who Cares About Kelsey? Documentary on Public Television
https://www.whocaresaboutkelsey.com/
The documentary “Who Cares About Kelsey?” airing on public television in October, tells the story of Kelsey Carroll, who lived with homelessness, self-mutilation, abuse and ADHD and was a likely high school dropout until she encountered an education revolution that’s about empowering, not overpowering, teens with emotional and behavioral disabilities, is available for purchase. It explores the innovative educational approaches, including implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), that ultimately helped Kelsey graduate, while improving the overall school culture and climate. The documentary is available on DVD, and schools and organizations can apply for a free “Who Cares About Kelsey?” Education DVD Kit.
CCSS
Toolkit for Aligning Instructional Materials with the CCSS (July 2013)
Toolkit
https://www.achieve.org/publications
As a joint effort, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners, have developed a downloadable “Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).”
Extracurricular Activities
National Parent Technical Assistance Center Publishes New Guide on Youth with Disabilities and Extracurricular Activities (2013)
Resource Handout
https://www.parentcenternetwork.org/
PACER’s National Parent Technical Assistance Center has released a Resource Handout entitled “Your Child with a Disability Can Take Part in Extracurricular Activities.” This guide provides an overview of the importance of extracurricular activities and how to use legal requirements to ensure that youth with disabilities are included.
Foster Care
Connected by 25: A Plan for Investing in the Social, Emotional and Physical Well-Being of Older Youth in Foster Care (August 2013)
Report
https://www.fostercareworkgroup.org/
Youth Transition Funders Group’s Foster Care Work Group has published “Connected by 25: A Plan for Investing in the Social, Emotional and Physical Well-Being of Older Youth in Foster Care.” Social, emotional, and physical well-being is critical for young people to form and connect with networks of families, friends, and communities that support their transitions to adulthood. However, many older youth and young adults who experience the child welfare system face social and emotional challenges stemming from abuse, neglect, and trauma and separation from their family and culture. This report seeks to leverage and advance new and emerging interest within and outside the federal government and research and advocacy communities to better understand and support social, emotional, and physical well-being for older youth in foster care.
Sexuality
Promotion of Healthy Relationships and Sexuality for Individuals with Disabilities (2013)
Fact Sheet
https://lend.umn.edu/docs/LEND-FACT-sexuality.pdf
The “Promotion of Healthy Relationships and Sexuality for Individuals with Disabilities” fact sheet promotes healthy relationships and debunks myths about sexuality in relation to individuals with disabilities. It provides background information, facts, and resources, and discusses solutions and promising steps in promoting healthy sexuality for individuals with disabilities, and was published by the Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (MN LEND) at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. Available in pdf (599 KB, 2 pp).
Transition
Transitions from High School to College (2013)
Report
https://tinyurl.com/ls8p9tx
“Transitions from High School to College” looks at the state of college readiness among high school students and the role of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Most high school students aspire to some kind of postsecondary education, yet many of them enter college without the basic content knowledge, skills, or habits of mind they need to succeed. This article looks at the state of college readiness among high school students, the effectiveness of programs designed to help student transitions to college, and efforts to improve those transitions. The CCSS offer the potential to improve college and career readiness among students. But that potential will be realized only if the standards are supplemented with the appropriate professional development for educators.
