SEPTA - C.H.I.L.D.
Great Neck SEPTA
  • Home
  • Calendar
    • SEPTA Meetings
    • Parent Ed Meeting
    • ADHD Support Group
    • Community Events
  • Contacts
    • SEPTA Executive Board
    • Parent Peers
    • Contact Us - Volunteer
  • Articles
  • Transition
  • Helpful Info
    • Advocacy
    • Glossery of Disabilities
    • Other SEPTA sites
    • Select SEPTA handouts from previous meetings
    • Social Skills Information
    • Transition
    • EI to CPSE to CSE
    • Legislative Updates
Senator Calls For Transition Action Plan

By Michelle Diament 

July 16, 2013

A new proposal in the U.S. Senate would allocate federal dollars to develop a 
national plan to help those with developmental disabilities transition to 
adulthood.  Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said Monday that he’s introduced a bill that 
would fund research to determine the most effective interventions and support 
services for young people aging out of the school system. The legislation calls 
for the creation of a national strategic action plan and would provide grants to train
“transition navigators” who would help youth  with disabilities access the
supports they need to live independently.  Currently, many individuals with disabilities lose access to needed services when they finish high school.  Though Menendez highlighted the increasing number of individuals with autism who are entering adulthood in bringing forward his proposal, the bill he 
introduced addresses the need for housing, employment, transportation and other 
services for individuals with all types of developmental disabilities.
 “For too many young people with autism spectrum disorders, the end of high 
school means the end of the support and skills training they need to succeed in 
the new world of adulthood,” said Menendez in unveiling the legislation known
as  the Assistance in Gaining Experience, Independence and Navigation Act of
2013,  or the AGE-IN Act. “We need a national response to ensure that resources
are  available to enable these young adults to lead the productive, fulfilling
lives  they deserve.”

Senator Looks To Enhance Transition Services Nationwide

By Michelle Diament 

May 31, 2013

A key U.S. senator is pushing for expanded on-the-job opportunities for youth 
with disabilities while they are still in school and he’s making the issue a
top  priority as Congress looks to tackle a major employment bill.  Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said he is currently working to bring a reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act up for consideration. As part of that process, Harkin said this week that he would like to see vocational rehabilitation agencies
take a bigger role in facilitating  internships and other real-world experiences for students with disabilities who  are in transition.  Currently, access to vocational rehabilitation varies widely from state to state, with employment services available to young people with special needs in some locations, but not others. Harkin is looking to change that.  An aide for the senator told Disability Scoop that Harkin wants to require vocational rehabilitation agencies in each state to set aside at least 10 
percent of their funding to provide “pre-employment transition services” for 
students with disabilities. This could mean offering everything from skills 
training to internships, summer jobs and apprenticeships as a complement to the transition services provided by schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“I am committed to raising employment rates for Americans with disabilities,
  and one of the most effective and lasting ways we can achieve that is to ensure
  that young people with disabilities have access to the summer jobs, internships
  and experiences in competitive employment that can be a springboard to a
  career,” Harkin said in a statement to Disability Scoop. “Improving services to
  young people with disabilities will be a central focus for me in the
  reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act.”


Staffers for Harkin, who chairs the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and 
Pensions Committee, said early conversations with the panel’s top Republican, 
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., suggest that there’s bipartisan support for the plan.  Harkin said he expects to have a bill ready for consideration by late summer or early fall.

Transition toward Excellence, Achievement and Mobility

On February 5, Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) reintroduced the "Transition 
toward Excellence, Achievement and Mobility" ("TEAM") Act
, which is a package
of  legislation designed to support youths with significant disabilities from adolescence  to adulthood and focus federal resources on improved outcomes in post-secondary  education and integrated employment. The legislation would ensure schools work  proactively with children with
disabilities and their families to transition  them from school into adulthood.
The act would also create an adult  transition planning process and system of
supports for youth and their families.  TEAM seeks to stimulate a national
system-change initiative which would  establish agencies coordinate services
better to produce the desired outcomes of  integrated living and employment.
 The Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination (CPSD), of which ANCOR is a 
member, has endorsed this legislation. The trio of bills are H.R. 509
("TEAM-Employment Act of 2013"), H.R. 510
("TEAM-Education Act"), and H.R. 511
("TEAM-Empowerment Act of 2013"). Harper's press release regarding the bills
may be found here. The bills were referred back to the House Committee on  Energy and Commerce after being reintroduced.
 - See more at: http://www.ancor.org/newsroom/news/team-act-reintroduced-house#sthash.C66jyQGb.dpuf

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.