Work Early, Expect Success - Jewish Vocational Services
Project Description:
JVS's Work Early, Expect Success pilot focuses on increasing long-term employment rates for transition-
age children with disabilities (ages 14-16) across the disability spectrum—in particular, BIPOC children
and children living below the federal poverty threshold—in underserved communities. JVS's pilot will
address the need to improve employment rates among adolescent-aged children with disabilities by
making quality vocational education and training opportunities accessible to both youth with disabilities
who are at the beginning of their high school journeys and their parents/support team members. Work
Early, Expect Success seeks to operationalize the findings of a 2015 analysis of the National Longitudinal
Transition Survey, which found the two strongest indicators of long-term employment for people with
disabilities are paid employment before exiting high school and high parental expectations of work. JVS
will provide youth with disabilities and their parents/support team members opportunities to engage in
a wide range of employment engagement activities, including introductions to employment pathways in
growth industries (e.g., work exploration sessions with local employers); parent/support team member
discussions and sessions to increase expectations of employment and provide information about
vocational training options; and paid employment/vocational training opportunities. Our pilot is unique
in the landscape of current school vocational training programs, which primarily focus on older high
school youth, because the program will focus on serving 14-16-year-old youth. Since employment is an
upstream determinant of health, improving employment outcomes among high school youth with
disabilities will help address health disparities and promote health equity. To achieve this, the pilot will
engage 36 youth with disabilities and 27 parents/support team members over two years in career
coaching, work exploration sessions, and paid employment/vocational training opportunities; 65% of
participants who complete the work exploration sessions will secure paid employment or enter a
vocational training program within one year of program completion. ICI serves as project evaluator.
Keyword(s):
Developmental Disabilities, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs, Employment
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation
Area of Emphasis
Employment-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Limited English
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
