Pathways to Competitive Integrated Employment in Oregon: A Collective Impact Community Empowerment Model
Project Description:
Pathways to Competitive Integrated Employment responds to the absolute priority by establishing, evaluating, and expanding a partnership between Career Technical Education (CTE), career-focused community-based organizations (CBOs), regional workforce boards, industry partners, and a University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). The proposed model will lead to competitive integrated employment (CIE) among disconnected youth with disabilities—defined here as youth with disabilities between the ages 14 and 24 years of age from low-income backgrounds, experiencing homelessness, from foster care settings, justice system involved, at risk of dropping out of high school, or are neither employed nor enrolled in education or training. Disconnected youth with disabilities face significant barriers achieving CIE due to limited opportunities for career exploration, career-connected and work-based learning experiences, limited social network supports, and other challenges such as transportation, housing instability, or poor mental and physical health; all of which can negatively impact access to employment.1, 2, 3 To address these needs, we propose an innovative model that will (1) identify and recruit disconnected youth with disabilities for services, (2) provide youth with engaging career-connected and work-based learning experiences, (3) deliver wraparound supports, and (4) provide professionals (school-based CTE, career-focused CBOs, industry partners & families) with professional development (PD) to support youth in achieving CIE. The model targets local and regional communities.
Keyword(s):
Adolescent Health, Developmental Disabilities, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Direct and/or Demonstration Services, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services, Demonstration Services
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Employment-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Transportation-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Assistive Technology, Other - Cultural Diversity, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, Legislators/Policy Makers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
