Transitioning from high school to employment or postsecondary education is a critical juncture in any person's life. For students with disabilities, the complexities associated with such pivotal decisions are compounded, increasing the need for transition preparation and ongoing support to develop self-determination, social, academic, and career skills. Although many programs have offered services to students during transition periods, there is little empirical research on the long-term impact of specific support activities, including those that employ computers and the Internet. This article reports the results of a retrospective survey of participants in a technology-based exemplary transition program for college-bound youth. It reports how participants perceive the impact of key components, including technology-enriched summer study and year-round computer and Internet activities, on their self-determination, social, college, and career skills. Recommendations for applications to transition programs as well as future research are provided.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BenzR.B.YavanoffP.DorenB. (1997). School-to-work components that predict post school success for students with and without disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63, 151–165.
2.
BlackorbyJ.WagnerM. (1996). Longitudinal post school outcomes of youth with disabilities: Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study. Exceptional Children, 62, 399–413.
3.
BriscoeJ.PitofskyJ.WillieJ.RegelbruggeL. (1996). Service-learning and school-to work: A partnership strategy for educational renewal. Alexandria, VA: National Association of Partners in Education, Inc.
BurgstahlerS. (1997). Peer support: What role can the Internet play?Journal of Information Technology and Disabilities, 4 (4).
6.
BurgstahlerS. (2001). A collaborative model promotes career success for students with disabilities: How DO-IT does it. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 16 (129), 1–7.
7.
BurgstahlerS.CronheimD. (2001). Supporting peer-peer and mentor-protégé relationships on the Internet. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34(1), 59–74.
8.
BurnsJ. P.ArmisteadL. P.KeysR. C. (1990). Developing a transition initiative program for students with handicapping conditions. Community/Junior College, 14, 319–329.
9.
CunninghamA.RedmondC.MerisotisJ. (2003). Investing early: Intervention programs in selected U.S. states. Canada: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
10.
DeLoachC. P. (1992). Career outcomes for college graduates with severe physical and sensory disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 58(1), 57–63.
11.
DO-IT and the Internet. (1995, October/November). Closing the Gap, 31–32.
12.
D'SousaP. V. (1991). The use of electronic mail as an instructional aid: An exploratory study. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, 18, 106–110.
13.
DurlakC.M.RoseE.BursuckW.D. (1994). Preparing high school students with learning disabilities for the transition to postsecondary education: Teaching the skills of self-determination. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27, 51–59.
14.
FabianE.S.LentR.L.WillisS.P. (1998). Predicting work transition outcomes for students with disabilities: Implications for counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76, 311–315.
HawkenL.DuranR. L.KellyL. (1991). The relationship of interpersonal communication variables to academic success and persistence in college. Communication Quarterly, 39, 297–308.
17.
HealL.W.RuschF.R. (1995). Predicting employment for students who leave special education high school programs. Exceptional Children, 61, 472–487.
KayeH. S. (2000). Computer and Internet use among people with disabilities. Disability Statistic Report 13. San Francisco, CA: Disability Statistics Center, University of California.
20.
Kim-RupnowW.S.DowrickP.W.BurkeL.S. (2001). Implications for improving access and outcomes for individuals with disabilities in postsecondary distance education programs. American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 25–40.
KohlerP.D.HoodL.K. (2000). Improving student outcomes: Promising practices and programs for 1999–2000 [A directory of innovative approaches for providing transition services for youth with disabilities]. Champaign, IL: Transition Research Institute. University of Illinois.
23.
KohlerP.D.TroeskenB.J. (1999). Improving student outcomes: Promising practices and programs for 1998–1999 [A directory of innovative approaches for providing transition services for youth with disabilities]. Champaign, IL: Transition Research Institute, University of Illinois.
24.
MalcomS.M.MatyasM.L. (Eds.) (1991). Investing in human potential: Science and engineering at the crossroads. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
25.
Mentoring on the Internet. (1995). ADVANCE for Occupational Therapists, 11(21), 11.
26.
McNeilJ.M. (2000). Employment, earnings, and disability. Prepared for 75th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International, June 29-July 3. Retrieved July 1, 2003 from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/emperndis.pdf.
27.
MocciaR.E.SchumakerJ.B.HazelJ.S.VernonD.S.DeshlerD.D. (1989). Mentor programs for facilitating the life transitions of individuals who have handicapping conditions. Reading, Writing and Learning Disabilities, 5, 177–195.
28.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (1999). Students with disabilities in postsecondary education: A profile of preparation, participation, and outcomes, NCES 1999–187. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
29.
National Council on Disability (1989). The education of students with disabilities: Where do we stand?Washington, DC: Author.
30.
National Council on Disability (2000). Federal policy barriers to assistive technology. Washington, DC: Author.
31.
National Council on Disability and Social Security Administration. (2000). Transition and post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities: Closing the gaps to postsecondary education and employment. Washington, DC: Author.
32.
National Science Foundation. (2000). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering. Washington, DC: Author.
33.
National School-to-Work Learning and Information Center (NSLIC). (1996). Elements of the school-to-work opportunities act: Work-based learning. Fact sheet. Washington, DC: Author.
34.
PembertonA.ZenhausernR. (1995). CMC and the educationally disabled student. In BergeZ. L.CollinsM. P. (Eds.), Computer mediated communication and the online classroom, 96–82. Cresshill, NJ: Hampton Press.
35.
PhelpsL.A.Hanley-MaxwellC. (1997). School-to-work transitions for youth with disabilities: A review of outcomes and practices. Review of Educational Research, 67, 197–226.
RoosG. (1994–1995). Access to engineering education: A test of determination for students with disabilities. Minority College Issue of Diversity/Careers In Engineering & Information Technology, 2(6), 17, 22–23.
StephensonC. (1997, July). The text of new relationships: Building deaf community in e-space. Paper presented at the Communication Technology and Cultural Values Conference, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.
41.
StoddenR.A. (1998). School-to-work transition: Overview of disability legislation. In RuschF.ChadseyJ. (Eds.), Beyond high school: Transition from school to work. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
42.
StoddenR.A.DowrickP. W. (2000) The present and future of adults with disabilities in postsecondary education. Impact, 13(1), 4–5.
43.
UngerD.WehmanP.YasudaS.CampbellL.GreenH. (2001, March). Human resource professionals and the employment of persons with disabilities: A business perspective. Paper presented at Capacity Building Institute, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii.
44.
WagnerM. (1989). The transition experiences of youth with disabilities: A report from the national longitudinal transition study. Menlo Park, Ca: SRI International.
45.
WilliamT.Grant Foundation. (1988). The Forgotten Half: Non-College Youth in America. An Interim Report on the School-to-Work Transition. Washington, DC: Commission on Work, Family and Citizenship, WTGF.
46.
YelinE.KatzP. (1994). Labor force trends of persons with and without disabilities. Monthly Labor Review, 117, 36–42.
