The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

ODEP, a federal agency in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is the lead agency in DOL’s implementation of the employment-related goals of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative (NFI). The vision of ODEP is to provide the national leadership to increase employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities while striving to eliminate barriers to employment.

A Focus on the Needs of the Customers

What do Youth Customers Need?

ODEP is committed to ensuring that its youth-related policy initiatives reflect the latest in evidence-based research. Research has identified the following operating principles as vital to effective transition programs. In order to successfully move to the world of work, all youth need:

• Access to high quality standards-based education regardless of the setting;
• Information about career options;
• Exposure to the world of work;
• Opportunities to develop social, civic, and leadership skills;
• Strong connections to caring adults;
• Access to safe places to interact with their peers, and
• Support services to allow them to become independent adults.

Youth with disabilities sometimes need simple extra supports that can significantly affect their ability to transition successfully. Ultimately, youth with disabilities will need assistance to navigate multiple, and often confusing, eligibility requirements and referral mechanisms in order to receive the benefits of programs and services charged to help them.

The Guideposts for Success

Based upon these operating principles, ODEP is integrating the following four design features into its youth-related policy initiatives:

• School-Based Preparatory Experiences provide the means for youth to perform at optimal levels in all education settings. All youth need to participate in educational programs grounded in standards, clear performance expectations, and graduation exit options based upon meaningful, accurate, and relevant indicators of student learning and skills.
• Career Preparation and Work-Based Learning Experiences are essential in order for youth to form and develop aspirations and to make informed choices about careers. These experiences can be provided during the school day or through after-school programs, and will require collaborations with other organizations.
• Youth Development & Leadership include providing structured relationships with adults in both informal/formal and individual/group mentoring situations, and exposing every youth to personal leadership skills such as self-advocacy and self-determination, as well as activities that build self-esteem, interpersonal skills, and teaming.
• Connecting activities involve collaborating with other institutions (e.g. sponsoring schools, postsecondary institutions, local workforce development organizations) to provide necessary support services for youth and to enrich program content. This includes insuring academic tutoring is provided if necessary; providing exposure to supportive peer and adult mentors; and helping youth explore self-sufficiency issues like assistive technology, transportation, benefits planning, and health maintenance.
• Family Involvement and Supports describe the participation and involvement of parents, family members, and/or other caring adults which promotes the social, emotional, physical, academic and occupational growth of youth, leading to better post-school outcomes

What do Employer Customers Need?

According to the Center on Workforce Preparation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the development of a future workforce is a high priority among the nation’s businesses. In addition to needing workers with specific, industry-related skills, employers are looking for workers who have such so-called “soft skills” as the ability to work as team members, respond to supervision, follow directions, etc. To find such workers, and to insure a future supply of such workers, employers need awareness of and access to recruitment resources, as well as effective processes for screening applicants. They also need to receive a reasonable return on the investment of time and resources they expend in developing and recruiting their workforce. One avenue for employer investment in human resources is involvement in youth work preparation programs.

Three primary factors emerge from studies addressing reasons employers become involved with any youth work preparation program. First, there is the immediate need for the company to fill positions. Second, particular industry-specific issues (such as worker shortages or specific technical skills requirements) cause some employers to embrace youth programs. Third, many companies feel particularly compelled to bring youth, with and without disabilities, into their workplaces to demonstrate corporate good citizenship and responsiveness to community needs. Employers are attracted to youth work preparation programs that appeal to one or more of these three factors.

Although employers’ motivations for participating in transition and workforce development programs are fairly straightforward, their willingness to offer opportunities in their workplaces to individuals represented by these programs is ultimately influenced by two factors:

1. awareness of these programs (i.e., how well such programs are marketed to them), and
2. availability of competent entities, such as transition or workforce development programs and professionals, to provide access to young job seekers. In youth transition and workforce development programs, a host of organizations already exist with charters to link youth and employers, including school transition programs, disability employment programs, workforce development youth programs, and community rehabilitation programs, among many others. With so many entities vying for their attention, both within and outside the disability employment arena, employers are likely to remain uninterested or confused, forced to make sense on their own of multiple and disjointed initiatives.

The Role of Intermediaries

A broad array of entities at the national, state, and local levels exist with diverse responsibilities for planning, funding, administering, and operating programs to assist individuals with and without disabilities to obtain education, training, job placement, and support services. If the transition outcomes of youth with disabilities are to improve, workforce development systems, vocational rehabilitation providers, labor unions, educational institutions, social service organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, transportation entities, and health providers must work together. Streamlining employer connections to career development activities serving youth is also a clear need. In addition, federal, state, and local community resources must be leveraged effectively.

Intermediary organizations can assist states in coordinating this effort and ensuring that all organizations within the workforce development system serve both of their customer groups: youth and adults seeking employment, and employers seeking capable workers. Intermediaries are agents that convene local leadership and broker relationships with multiple partners across multiple funding streams. Possible intermediaries include, but are not limited to, community-based non-profit organizations, community and faith-based organizations, employer organizations, community colleges, community rehabilitation programs, and others.

ODEP Youth Grants

In recognition of the important coordinating role that intermediaries can play in making this occur, in 2003 ODEP awarded 8 Innovative State Alignment Grants in the amount of approximately $500,000 to State Workforce Investment Boards or the functional equivalent state entities.

Similarly, ODEP’s High School/High Tech (HS/HT) initiative has moved to a model of statewide coordination. Seven High School/High Tech Implementation and Development Grants were awarded in 2003.

Also awarded in 2003, Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities are a collaborative effort between ODEP, DOL's Center for Faith- Based and Community Initiatives, and the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the Department of Education. They are designed to build the capacity and knowledge of faith-based and community organizations to provide mentoring services to young people with disabilities through the funding of intermediary organizations.

NCWD/Youth provides technical assistance and support to all of the ODEP youth grant recipients. This includes monthly conference calls, meeting support, and specialized technical assistance.

• Find out more about the youth grant recipients on the NCWD/Youth site.
• Read the Solicitations for Grant Applications (SGA's) on the ODEP website.

NCWD/Youth | c/o Institute for Educational Leadership
4455 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 310 | Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: 1-877-871-0744 (Toll Free)
TTY: 877-871-0665 (Toll Free)