3.9 Capacity Building (Zhang)

2021

Individuals with disabilities face challenges in their transition from school to adult life, especially in the transition from school to employment. Federal legislation requires local and state education agencies to work with the state vocational rehabilitation agency to facilitate a smooth transition from school to employment. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and Texas Education Agency (TEA) have developed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help guide the two agencies for collaborations. In order to effectively implement the MOU, TWC has proposed and funded several initiatives to enhance the quality of transition services in Texas. One of the initiatives is for Texas A&M University's Center on Disability and Development to provide training and technical assistance to regional and local transition teams for the purpose of building statewide capacity in providing quality transition services to students with disabilities. Activities throughout the fiscal year included: Hosting a monthly (digital) capacity building presentation with: -364 participants in October -168 participants November -126 participants in December -136 participants in January -131 participants in March -87 participants in March -87 participants in April -115 participants in May Two presentations at the Texas Transition Conference in February Coaching sessions School based enterprise support grants totaling $150,000 split into mini-grants across 43 districts, covering all of the regions of the TWC.

capacity building; technical assistance; transition; Employment

Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services

Employment-Related Activities, Other - Leadership

Professionals and Para-Professionals

Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups

Single-County, State

Yes