Margo Vreeburg Izzo

Two-Year Evaluation of a Vocational Support Program for Adults on the Autism Spectrum

In this article the authors provide a description and evaluation of a vocational support program for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). They followed 9 participants through 2 years of the program. Increases in employment rates and income were found for program participants, and 7 participants retained their initial job placements through the 2-year period. Employers rated program participants highly on a range of important job skills, although these individuals continued to experience social challenges in the workplace. Case notes offer further insight into the experiences of adults with ASD in the workplace. Overall, the results suggest that individuals on the autism spectrum can be successful in competitive, entry-level employment.

Access to Post—High School Services Transition Assessment and the Summary of Performance

IDEA 2004 has included a new requirement for youth transition— a Summary of Functional Performance (SOP)—documentation to assist in seeking eligibility for disability-related services after high school. However, minimal implementation guidance has been provided to states. The articles in this special series explain how the SOP can reduce longstanding barriers to transition and explore its implementation from perspectives of secondary, postsecondary, rehabilitation, employment, students, and families. In this article, the authors describe the work of the National Transition Documentation Summit in prompting a national dialog, responding to thorny questions from the field, and developing guidelines for field consideration. Finally, it presents a charge to the field to collaborate and continue conversation about bridging the documentation gap to strengthen the likelihood of successful transition for youth.

Supported eText: Effects of Text-to-Speech on access and Achievement for High School Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities often lack the skills required to access the general education curriculum and achieve success in school and postschool environments. Evidence suggests that using assistive technologies such as digital texts and translational supports enhances outcomes for these students (Anderson-Inman & Horney, 2007). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a text-to-speech screen reader program on the academic achievement of high school students with disabilities in an online transition curriculum emphasizing information literacy. The text-to-speech support was introduced and withdrawn in a reversal design across 10 curriculum units. Findings suggest that the text-to-speech support increased unit quiz and reading comprehension performance with large effect sizes. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Effects of a 21st-Century Curriculum on Students’ Information Technology and Transition Skills

A pretest—posttest control group experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of EnvisionIT, a 10-unit web-based curriculum designed to teach secondary students information technology (IT) skills in the context of transition-planning activities. Fifteen high schools were stratified by socioeconomic status and randomly assigned to the EnvisionIT experimental condition or a control condition in which students received traditional instruction. Pre- and posttest data for 287 students—119 (41%) of whom had disabilities—were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Findings indicated that students in the experimental group made significantly greater gains in IT literacy than students in the control group. Students in the experimental group also showed greater gains in several transition skills, including goal setting, knowledge of how to find jobs, and information about college. Results support the conclusion that the EnvisionIT curriculum produces improvements in students’ acquisition of the 21st-century skills needed for success in today’s high tech world.

Increasing Employment Earnings: Extended Transition Services that Make a Difference

A pre-test-post-test control group design examined the effects of extending transition services beyond graduation on employment earnings of vocational students with disabilities. Specific transition services included: vocational assessment, agency contacts, Individualized Educational Program (IEP) meetings, extended vocational training, employability counseling, job club, job interview preparation, job development, and job coaching. The results indicated that youth who received extended transition services had significantly higher earnings for two years following the termination of services than youth who did not receive extended transition services. Through a follow-up survey conducted five years after intervention services ended, we found that youth who received extended transition services were significantly more likely to be employed or in a training program than those without extended transition supports. No significant experimental group differences emerged based on gender, race, or disability.

Implementing the SOP for Effective Transition Two Case Studies

This article provides two case studies of students with disabilities who are each exiting high school with a quality Summary of Performance (SOP) that enhances their successful transition to either college or employment. The authors present and discuss the essential components of the SOP for two students: one with a learning disability and a postsecondary goal of college and the other with a cognitive disability and a postsecondary goal of supported employment. Finally, the authors examine the benefits of completing quality SOPs for the student, the family, adult service providers, and employers.

The Impact of an Online Transition Curriculum on Secondary Student Reading: A Multilevel Examination

This study investigates the impact of an online transition curriculum embedded with literacy strategies on reading outcomes for secondary students in grades 9–12 across two states. The quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design had a sample of 338 students with and without disabilities and utilized the AIMS Web Maze Test for 8th Grade Reading Prompts to measure gain scores in reading comprehension. Multilevel linear modeling methods were used to examine the effects of the curriculum intervention on students nested within teachers. Findings show that while both groups increased in reading, the intervention group made larger gains that were statistically significant and corresponded to a large effect size. These results emphasize the importance of embedding reading comprehension strategies within transition services.

Preparing All Students for 21st Century College and Careers

Preparing all students for lifelong success in a rapidly changing global economy requires schools to reconsider both what and how educators teach and students learn in the 21st century. This paper presents examples of curricula, programs, and delivery methods that promote increased learning in core academics, technology, and life and career skills for students with disabilities at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Three initiatives, EnvisionIT (EIT), Ohio’s STEM Ability Alliance (OSAA), and Transition Options in Postsecondary Settings (TOPS), provide models of engendering 21st century skills utilizing 21st century tools that support all students’ transition from high school to college and careers.

A Preliminary Psychometric Analysis of a Measure of Information Technology Literacy Skills

Information technology (IT) literacy skills are increasingly important for all adolescents to learn, as the majority of post-school pursuits will require at least some amount of computer skills. For adolescents with disabilities, this urgency is perhaps more pronounced, as this subpopulation typically experiences more dismal post-school outcomes than their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Envision Information Technology Literacy (EITL) scale based on pretest and posttest responses of students with and without disabilities (N = 150). Findings show promising validity and reliability of the EITL scale. Implications for practice are discussed with regard to uses in high school career courses and as an age-appropriate transition assessment.