Text Overview of the Inclusive Career Pathways Roadmap

The LEAD Center Inclusive Career Pathways Roadmap is an interactive online tool that provides workforce professionals with resources to help people with disabilities achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency. The visual is of a Roadmap with five traffic circles, which are called “drivers” on the Roadmap because they are drivers of change. You can select any of the five drivers to begin your journey on the Inclusive Career Pathways Roadmap. In addition, there are two Roadside Assistance signs, which say Want to Drive Change? and Need Technical Assistance? These both offer further information and resources.

The drivers are: Capacity Building, Accessibility, Partnerships, Youth with Disabilities, and Employer Connections. Use the following links to access Resources, possible Actions, Questions for your team, and Examples of promising practices for the topics linked to each driver. The Roadmap leads to the destination of Employment and Economic Self-Sufficiency.

Driver: Capacity Building

• Customized Employment
• Promising Practices
• Targeted Technical Assistance (TA)
• Work Incentives & Benefits Planning

Driver: Accessibility

• Accommodations
• AJC Certification
• Assistive Technology
• WIOA Section 188 Disability Reference Guide

Driver: Partnerships

• Co-Enrollment & Integrated Resource Teams (IRTs)
• Cross-Title/Cross-System Activities
• Resource Coordination
• Veterans Employment

Driver: Youth with Disabilities

• Financial Literacy
• Guideposts for Success
• Partnerships
• Work-based Learning

Driver: Employer Connections

• Apprenticeships, On-the-Job Trainings (OJTs), Work-based Learning
• Benefits to Employers and Return on Investment (ROI)
• Coordination Between Systems
• Diverse & Reverse Career Fairs

Want to Drive Change?

In the Want to Drive Change? technical assistance roadside assistance sign, you can learn more about how to make change happen by using these three special resources found on the LEAD Center site.

• Program Implementation: Making It More Successful (PDF)
  This 26-page PowerPoint style presentation by WINTAC summarizes the NIRN, explains 8 implementation drivers, and will help you assess your organization’s WIOA implementation status.
• Making It Happen: Implementation Drivers of Change (PDF)
  Find out how state/local systems can achieve a systems-level change, transform partnerships, and reach a new normal.
• Implementation Science, Drivers and Stages (PDF)
  An explanation of the aspects of implementation to help you understand how it can be used.

Need Technical Assistance?

If you are looking for technical assistance for your state or program, the Need Technical Assistance? roadside assistance sign will take you to  websites that offer training, technical assistance, resources, and training guides  through a link to the LEAD Center’s Knowledge Translation (KT) Consortium, which has been sponsored by the LEAD Center since 2012.

The KT Consortium brings together more than 30 federally-funded Training and Technical Assistance Centers, each with their own unique mission addressing:

• Different aspects of employment,
• Career readiness and development,
• Transition, and
• Accessibility for youth and adults with disabilities.

Access their resources and learn about the availability of technical assistance to support your work in creating inclusive career pathways programs for youth/adults with disabilities and others that face barriers to employment.

 

Return to the Career Pathways Roadmap.

Return to the LEAD Center homepage.

Finding resources and creative ways to increase the success of individuals with disabilities in securing Competitive Integrated Employment often begins with navigating the Career Pathways landscape.

One of the barriers to Competitive Integrated Employment for individuals with disabilities is access to, and success in, the Post-Secondary environment. Lack of funding, the need to balance education and a job, transportation concerns and many other issues make participation in post-secondary education or career-related training -- which would open opportunities for a more financially self-sustaining career -- a challenge that many face.

One resource that recognizes the need to make college more accessible and affordable for high school students, college students and adult learners with and without disabilities is Modern States.

Modern States is the New York-based charitable organization behind the effort. Modern States has funded production of online courses taught by college professors. The courses prepare students for introductory College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams in Economics, Sociology, Algebra and other areas.

Join us for an online presentation and discussion on December 11 to hear more about this initiative, which has been dubbed “Freshman Year for Free.” David Vise, Executive Director of Modern States Education Alliance, will share the history and concept behind the initiative, discuss which classes taught by top quality college professors are available, and how to enroll and participate. David also will answer questions on how to make this type of continuing education a part of a plan, providing forward momentum on a higher education pathway.