Research for Guideposts for Success on NCWD/Youth website

The research supporting the NCWD/Youth’s Guideposts for Success has been posted on the website (download supporting research in Microsoft Word format or supporting research in Adobe PDF format).

The research review was conducted jointly with the National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition's National Standards and Quality Indicators. The research summary and citations are available in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word format.

The document identifies and presents research, federal government documents, commissioned reports, and other sources that serve as the foundation upon which the Guideposts for Success are based. The Guideposts include five categories that can help families, institutions and youth themselves through the transition processes. The five categories that all youth need are:

• School-Based Preparatory Experiences
• Career Preparation & Work-Based Learning Experiences
• Youth Development & Leadership
• Connecting Activities
• Family Involvement & Supports

More information about the guideposts is available at http://www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/guideposts/index.html.

New Publications available from ODEP

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has added several new or updated fact sheets on the following subjects: mentoring, disability data and research resources, interviewing tips for job candidates with disabilities, recruiting employees with disabilities, emergency preparedness, and an overview of the Job Accommodation Network.

These fact sheets as well as previous ODEP publications are available in PDF and html formats at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm

Minnesota Launches Project C³ website

Project C³ is a partnership between several organizations who offer many different kinds of services to youth and young adults. The goal of the project, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is to help young adults in transition become successfully employed or to continue their education in high school, colleges or universities.

The website features a number of resources that other programs can replicate, such as iseek and eFolio. Iseek is Minnesota 's online information source of career, education, employment, and business information. eFolio is an electronic portfolio designed to help students showcase their education, career and personal achievements. The website can be visited at http://www.c3online.org/.

Disability Funders Network Announces Rapid Response Fund for People With Disabilities in U.S. Gulf Region

The Disability Funders Network (DFN) has launched a Rapid Response Fund to help nonprofit organizations meet the immediate and long-term needs of people with disabilities in the Gulf region of the U.S. as a result of hurricanes, storms, and other severe weather conditions. DFN is a grantmakers' affinity group whose mission is to promote awareness, support, and inclusion of people with disabilities and disability issues in grantmaking programs and organizations. The Rapid Response Fund offers mini-grants to nonprofit organizations to meet specific needs that include, but are not limited to, transportation, shelter, medication, medical equipment, and assistive technology. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.

Funding is limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and requests from grassroots organizations will be given priority. No grants will be awarded to individuals or for general operating purposes.

Visit the DFN Web site (http://www.disabilityfunders.org/), for complete program information and application procedures.