3.7 Capacity Building (Miller)
Project Description:
Over the past several decades, research has repeatedly shown that transition services are essential for students with disabilities to make a successful transition from school to adulthood. Students who are prepared to enter the workforce at graduation are more likely to be employed in meaningful employment. Gaining meaningful employment is one of the core factors predicting quality of life as an adult. In order to prepare students with disabilities for this transition from being a student to being an independent adult, transition services need to start as early as possible.
Starting transition services by age 14 is a key factor of success because (a) it takes more instructional time for students with disabilities to learn and generalize essential employability and pre-employment transition services (pre-ETS) skills from a school setting to authentic situation that occur in the workplace and community; (b) many students dropout of school before
graduation due to the lack of interest in learning that is not well connected to work. Therefore, it is imperative to provide students with disabilities pre-ETS activities and instruction as early as age 14.
In conjunction with the Texas Workforce Commission, TAMU's Capacity Building project is working directly with transition educators and vocational rehabilitation counselors to improve collaboration in order to expand the opportunities for students ages 14-16 to engage in pre-ETS activities. This project provides opportunities for educators and VRCs to evaluate current practices, collaborate on service delivery, and create meaningful experiences for students to prepare them for employment.
The Capacity Building project held focus groups in each of the six TWC regions within the state of TX. These one-day events brought together 93 transition educators and 90 VRCs to share experiences and determine what is working and what needs improvement.
Next, the Capacity Building project held regional conferences in each of the six TWC regions in TX. The day and a half conference connected transition educators with their area VRC to provide education and facilitated planning and organization of services for students with disabilities. A total of 252 VRCs and 293 educators attended the conferences. Based upon focus group data in input from regional conferences, the project hosted a two-day statewide conference to provide additional training and collaboration opportunities for 435 transition professionals. Satisfaction surveys indicate that 99% of attendees agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the training and technical assistance provided by the conferences and that their professional knowledge had increased as a result of the conferences.
The final phase of the project includes a second statewide training conference and 12 regional best-practice showcases. Four showcases have been held to date, serving over 100 transition professionals. The remaining eight showcases, plus a three-day, 500-person conference, will be provided in the fall of 2024.
Activities Included:
Hosted 6 Focus Group Sessions in 2022
Hosted 6 regional conferences in 2023
Hosted 1 Statewide Conference in 2023
Showcased 4 high-performing transition teams in 2024
Will showcase an additional 8 teams in the fall of 2024
Will host a second Statewide Conference in the fall of 2024
Keyword(s):
capacity building; technical assistance; transition; employment
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services
Area of Emphasis
Employment-Related Activities, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
