The joint contributions of general education and special education staff should collectively support career development for students with disabilities in rural communities. This mixed-methods study explored the views of staff and administrators across 10 rural districts on staffing for supporting students with disabilities in preparing for work, how districts addressed career development, and how various factors affected service delivery. Findings indicated that the extent to which students with disabilities participated in career development opportunities varied based on disability types, the ways in which staff were allocated for providing services, and the extent to which partnerships were leveraged for this purpose. We offer recommendations for addressing staff needs and facilitating inclusion for students with disabilities in preparing for employment.
CarterE. W.AwsumbJ. M.SchutzM. A.McMillanE. D. (2020). Preparing youth for the world of work: Educator perspectives on pre-employment transition services. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 44(3), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2165143420938663
3.
CarterE. W.TrainorA. A.CakirogluO.SwedeenB.OwensL. A. (2010). Availability of and access to career development activities for transition-age youth with disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 33(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885728809344332
4.
CreswellJ. W. (2015). A concise introduction to mixed methods research. Sage.
5.
DucharmeD.RoachA.WellonsQ. (2020). The role of school psychologists in employment-focused transition services. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 36(4), 36–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2020.1749205
6.
FettersM. D.CurryL. A.CreswellJ. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices. Health Services Research, 48(6), 2134–2156. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12117
7.
FisherM.PleasantsS. L. (2012). Roles, responsibilities, and concerns of paraeducators: Findings from a statewide survey. Remedial and Special Education, 33(5), 287–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510397762
8.
GuettermanT. C.FettersM. D.CreswellJ. W. (2015). Integrating quantitative and qualitative results in health science mixed methods research through joint displays. Annals of Family Medicine, 13(6), 554–561. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1865
9.
HarrisP. A.TaylorR.ThielkeR.PayneJ.GonzalezN.CondeJ. G. (2009). Research electronic data capture (REDCap): A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 42(2), 377–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2008.08.010
10.
HarveyM. W.CottonS.KochK. R. (2007). Indiana secondary CTE instructors’ perceptions of program expectations, modifications, accommodations, and postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. The Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 29(2), 16–32. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ841376.pdf
11.
HarveyM. W.RoweD. A.TestD. W.ImperatoreC.LombardiA.ConradM.SzymanskiA.BarnettK. (2020). Partnering to improve career and technical education for students with disabilities: A position paper of the Division on Career Development and Transition. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 43(2), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143419887839
12.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. (2004).
13.
LehmanE. T. (2020). What principals need to know and be able to do to support effective secondary transition programming (Publication No. 27831275) [Doctoral dissertation]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, The George Washington University.
14.
LillisJ. L.KutscherE. L. (2022). Defining themselves: Transition coordinators’ conceptions of their roles in schools. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 45(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434211010687
15.
LipscombS.HaimsonJ.LiuA. Y.BurghardtJ.JohnsonD. R.ThurlowM. L. (2017). Preparing for life after high school: The characteristics and experiences of youth in special education (Vol. 2). U.S. Department of Education.
16.
MazzottiV. L.RoweD. A.KwiatekS.VoggtA.ChangW.-H.FowlerC. H.PoppenM.SinclairJ.TestD. W. (2021). Secondary transition predictors of postschool success: An update to the research base. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 44(1), 47–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143420959793
17.
MilsomA. S. (2007). School counselor involvement in postsecondary transition planning for students with disabilities. Journal of School Counseling, 5(23), 1–21. http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v5n23.pdf
18.
PattonM. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage.
19.
RoweD. A.CarterE. W.GajjarS.MavesE. A.WallJ. C. (2020). Supporting strong transitions remotely: Considerations and complexities for rural communities during COVID-19. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 39(4), 220–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756870520958199
20.
SchmalzriedJ. E.HarveyM. W. (2014). Perceptions of special education and career and technical education collaboration and communication. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 37(2), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143412467666
21.
SchutzM. A.CarterE. W.MavesE. M.GajjarS. A.McmillanE. D. (2021). Examining school-community transition partnerships using community conversations. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 55(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-211152
22.
SchutzM. A.CarterE. W.TraversH. E. (2023). Rural school staff roles in career development for students with disabilities: A mixed methods study. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434231152822
TestD. W.FowlerC. H. (2018). A look at the past, present, and future of rural secondary transition. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 37(2), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756870517751607
25.
ThomasD. R. (2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748
26.
TrainorA. A.MorningstarM. E.MurrayA. (2016). Characteristics of transition planning and services for students with high-incidence disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 39(2), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731948715607348
27.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 29 U.S.C. 3101et seq. (2014).
28.
YinR. K. (2009). Analyzing case study evidence: How to start your analysis, your analytic choices, and how they work. In YinR. (Ed.), Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed., pp. 126–163). Sage. https://doi.org/10.33524/cjar.v14i1.73
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
