This is the seventh blog in a series of blog posts on secondary transition from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).
Expect, Engage, and Empower: Successful Transitions for All!
Blog Post #7
As summer progresses, many students are completing their applications for colleges they are interested in attending. They are also about to begin their senior year of high school and thinking beyond graduation next spring!
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) will host the third virtual session for the 2023-2024 OSERS Symposium Series, Expect, Engage, Empower Symposium: Collaboration to Improve Outcomes on Sept. 12, 1 – 2:30 p.m. ET.
By: New York State Commission for the Blind
In a February 2024 Dear Colleague Letter, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Danté Allen prioritized elevating community expectations for competitive integrated employment by showcasing success stories of individuals with disabilities who receive services from RSA Programs. This is the third RSA Success Story in a series that will run through November 2024.
By Valerie C. Williams
Director, Office of Special Education Programs
We have long recognized and are working to address long-standing personnel shortages in high-need areas, such as special education. We also know that developing and supporting a diverse educator workforce is essential to student success. Research shows that having a racially and ethnically diverse educator workforce benefits all students, and particularly students of color. This includes improved academic outcomes, higher expectations for students, lower rates of discipline, and strong, trusting relationships between students, their families, and teachers.
By: Lily Gullion, Office of Special Education Programs Intern and Ph.D. Candidate
July is Disability Pride month, which celebrates disability and encourages reflection on the moments in history that have shaped the daily lives and opportunities of individuals with disabilities.
By: Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation
In a February 2024 Dear Colleague Letter, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Danté Allen prioritized elevating community expectations for competitive integrated employment by showcasing success stories of individuals with disabilities who receive services from RSA Programs. This is the second RSA Success Story in a series that will run through November 2024.
Olivia Christensen, Ph.D., has worked in education since she was 12 years old. Her roles in the field have included babysitter, nanny, summer camp art teacher, Montessori preschool guide, graduate researcher, teacher educator, and kindergarten and early elementary support specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education where she supports kindergarten and early elementary related initiatives across the agency. She is passionate about the value of early childhood education and is committed to supporting the field in ways that promote equity and justice.
This is the sixth blog in a series of blog posts on secondary transition from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).
Expect, Engage, and Empower: Successful Transitions for All!
Blog Post #6
“Young people with disabilities in particular must be part of an inclusive economic recovery so that they can find the fulfilling careers, apprenticeships, and futures they deserve in every industry; to that end, we must promote the technologies and tools, as well as the attitudes, that foster welcoming work environments for young Americans. Our Nation’s future will be brighter and more secure when everyone is dealt into the economy we build together…. I urge all Americans to embrace the talents and skills that workers with disabilities bring to the national recovery and to promote the right to equal employment opportunity for all people.”
By: Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
In a February 2024 Dear Colleague Letter, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Danté Allen prioritized elevating community expectations for competitive integrated employment by showcasing success stories of individuals with disabilities who receive services from RSA Programs. This is the first RSA Success Story in a series that will run through November 2024.
Bill Mehojah currently works with schools in the Gila River Indian Community and is the Native Youth Community Program (NYCP) Grant Coordinator for Blackwater Community School in Arizona. He previously held several positions, including Director of Indian Education, with the Office of Indian Education Programs, now the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Originally an English teacher in a BIE boarding school, he was also an administrator of a technical assistance center serving BIE schools in Anchorage, Alaska. Mehojah is a member of the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma.