Transcript Troy Justesen - Disability Research Institute

O S E R S
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
United States Department of Education
Presentation at the DRI Symposium:
SSA Disability Program:
Facilitating Employment
Troy Justesen
Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting)
March 16, 2004
Panel Discussion:
Youth and Transition
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President’s New Freedom Initiative
 Announced within two weeks of taking office.
 Four broad objectives:
 Increasing access to assistive technology and universally designed
technologies.
 Expanding educational opportunities for Americans with disabilities.
 Integrating Americans with Disabilities into the workforce.
 Promoting full access to community life.
About OSERS
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OSERS comprises three program components:
 Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
 Dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and
youth with disabilities ages birth through 21.
 Administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
 Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
 Oversees grant programs that help individuals with physical or
mental disabilities to obtain employment and live more
independently.
 National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
(NIDRR)
 Provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of
research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities.
Collaborative Approaches
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Collaboration with federal and state government
agencies, potential employers and community
organizations is the hallmark of OSERS’ initiatives.
Youth transition collaborative efforts have three broad,
interrelated goals:
1. Enhance employment opportunities.
2. Facilitate transition into the workforce.
3. Prepare students for postsecondary success.
Enhancing Employment
Opportunities
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 Data-sharing Memorandum of Understanding between the
Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Department of
Education.
 Coordination between the SSA, State Vocational Rehabilitation
(VR) agencies and private Employment Networks to support the
success of the Ticket to Work program.
 Consultations with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to
enhance access for persons with disabilities to the One-Stop
system.
Enhancing Employment
Opportunities
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 Partnerships to strengthen VR agencies’ relationships with
employers at the local level.
 Partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to produce a
guide about programs and resources available to assist business
leaders in hiring people with disabilities.
Facilitate Transition Into
the Workforce
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 SSA Pilot project allowing students with disabilities to go on to
postsecondary education, vocational training or employment
without losing IDEA-funded services or SSI benefits.
 OSERS – DOL grants to build the capacity of faith-based and
community organizations to provide mentoring services to
young people.
 Co-sponsorship of the Youth to Work Coalition (YWC) to
encourage and assist businesses to establish youth mentoring,
internships and other school-to-work model programs.
Prepare Students for
Postsecondary Success
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 Adolescent literacy research in conjunction with the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the
Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
 National Center on Secondary Education and Transition’s
National Leadership Summit.
 National Dropout Prevention Center to develop networks of
researchers, practitioners and key organizations to help increase
graduation rates.
 National File Format Technical Panel to identify and propose
national instructional materials accessibility standards for all
students.
Prepare Students for
Postsecondary Success
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 Improving Post-school Outcomes: Identifying and Promoting
What Works project for synthesizing, analyzing and
disseminating information about secondary-aged youth with
disabilities.
 National Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for
Individuals with Disabilities for information and resources to
help establish and/or improve postsecondary education
programs.
 National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 providing information
about 12,000 students with disabilities as they transition from
adolescence to early adulthood.
Contact OSERS
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Address:
Phone:
Web:
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
202-205-5465 (Voice/TTY)
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers
O S E R S
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
United States Department of Education