Employers / Businesses

Information and resources geared toward increasing your understanding of policy and practice issues regarding youth with disabilities in the workplace.

Many employers have young employees in the workplace. Employees who feel respected and valued in the workplace tend to stay in their positions longer. One study of youth employment cited worksite supervisors as a critical contributing factor to a youth’s successful work experience. NCWD/Youth explains the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that those working with young people needed to do their jobs. NCWD/Youth’s new hot topic on KSAs will explain more.

Read the new KSAs Jump Start.

Materials developed by NCWD/Youth are organized around what young people need to be successful in the workplace. Evidence-based research shows that all young people need to be exposed to activities in the following four areas:

• Preparatory Experiences are those core activities that help youth prepare for a successful future in careers or postsecondary education institutions. A prepared workforce is vital for businesses to prosper.
  
  
• Work-based Learning are supervised programs sponsored by an education or training organization that link knowledge gained at the worksite with a planned program of study. These hands-on experiences create an employee who already knows your business when you hire them.
  
  
• Connecting Activities provide necessary support services for youth and enrich program content. They include academic tutoring, adult and peer mentoring, and helping youth explore self-sufficiency issues like assistive technology, transportation, benefits planning, and health maintenance.
  
  
• Youth Development & Leadership are processes that prepare young people to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood through a coordinated, progressive series of activities and experiences. These include providing structured relationships with adults and exposing every youth to personal leadership skills such as self-advocacy and self-determination.

Know The Law:
Policy, Legislation, & Regulations relating to Employment & Youth with Disabilities

Information is crucial in today's business environment. This maxim especially applies to legal aspects of employment. While you don't need to be an expert, you should be aware of and have a basic understanding of the policy, laws, and regulations concerning people with disabilities and the workplace. Visit our Disability Legislation Central and get to know the law.

Accomodations: Questions & ANSWERS!

Don't know what reasonable accomadations are? Want to know about financial assistance to comply with the ADA? Get answers to the common questions about accomodations here.

The Basics: Disability Do's and Don'ts

We all need help navigating new territory. You or your staff may have not worked with individuals with disabilities before. These articles provide some simple guidelines to help you interact respectfully with ease and professionalism.