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Using the PAES (Practical Assessment Exploration System) has been valuable in supporting my students' secondary transition by helping them identify their strengths and areas for growth. This system not only provides hands-on experience in various career fields but also aligns with key transition goals by assessing vocational skills in a structured, supportive environment. Through PAES, students develop practical skills that they can then generalize into the community by applying them in real-world settings such as job internships, volunteer opportunities, and community-based instruction. This experience enhances their confidence and independence, preparing them for successful transitions into employment, further education, or daily living tasks beyond the classroom.

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John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL has a Career Life Skills program that allows students with disabilities to foster independent life skills, be involved in work programs, and take classes that teach them about how to use skills on a job site. The school offers a store and a coffee shop to help the students learn different skills.

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Career Life Skills program Sets Special Education Students up for Success

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The Farmer's House (thefarmershouse.org) in Platte City, MO has different programs for students with disabilities to learn vocational and employment skills. They offer job skills development for middle and high school students, career planning, job exploration, job development, community based learning, social skills, wellness skills, and life skills. There are multiple locations offering different aspects of this day program.

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Preparing Students with Disabilities for the Workforce | #AmGradKCPT | Part 1

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Transition Abilities is a YouTube channel that offers wonderful videos for transition teachers and educators that explain careers, life skills, and social emotional lessons for students with disabilities. These videos have been great resources for my students when talking about transition, and allows them to retain information at a level that is easy to understand.

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All About Careers - Vocational Lesson 2 - Job Skills for Students

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The transition program at Omaha Public Schools teaches these high school students vocational skills before aging out and entering the 18-21 program. They do functional academics, community based instruction, and independent living skills. The program has more than 20 job sites available.

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"Transition Program" Young Adults With Disabilities Are Beating The Odds

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This video highlights the IWCS Transition and Job Coaching Program’s focus on career exploration for students with disabilities. It showcases how the program provides hands-on experiences, workplace training, and skill development opportunities to help students identify their career interests and prepare for future employment. Through partnerships with local businesses and guided coaching, students gain valuable insights into different career paths, fostering independence and confidence as they transition from school to the workforce.

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This video showcases how Easterseals Midwest uses virtual reality to help individuals with disabilities explore different career paths. By immersing participants in realistic job environments, they can experience various roles firsthand, gain confidence, and make informed career decisions. This innovative approach, combined with employment services, empowers individuals to achieve meaningful and fulfilling employment.

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Using Virtual Reality to Help People with Disabilities Explore Career Opportunities

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Career Planning Tips for Parents of Children/Young Adults with Disabilities

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Career Planning Tips for Parents of Children/Young Adults with Disabilities

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​In this video, Gopika Kapoor shares valuable career planning tips for parents of children with disabilities. She emphasizes the importance of early and tailored career exploration, encouraging parents to identify their child's strengths and interests to guide them toward suitable vocational paths. By fostering self-awareness and providing appropriate support, parents can empower their children to achieve meaningful employment and greater independence.

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Career Planning Tips for your Child with a Disability

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The O*NET Interest Profiler is an assessment tool that students can use to look into potential careers that match personal interests. The likert scale makes the assessment easy for students with or without disabilities.

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Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board, Inc.

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O*NET Interest Profiler - Matching Interests to Careers!

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The H.E.A.R.T. Program provides the adults with disabilities (some of whom may be students still) the opportunity to learn vocational skills and work training techniques. They have a mock-CVS store that allows them to train for viable work in a CVS. This gives them simulated experiences similar to what they may encounter within the true workforce.after completing training, they complete a 5-week externship with an actual CVS store to apply the skills they learned.

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A look inside the H.E.A.R.T. CVS training program for adults with intellectual/developmental dis...

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This clip highlights a program that Goodwill has partnered with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide high school students with disabilities opportunities to gain hands-on job experience. While this is the focus on the program, I chose this clip in particular because the clip highlights the soft skills that the students learn. One student interviewed mentioned that he's learned "it's important to come to work...listen to my boss....do the right thing." The class presentations noted that while career preparation is about developing a marketable skillset for our students to gain employment, it is also equally important for us to ensure that our students are able to maintain employment. The clip reinforces that career preparation benefits the students all around, not just their physical/tangible skillsets.

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Goodwill teaching job skills to students with disabilities

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This clip details how Kent County, Michigan disability advocates partnered with local schools to provide mock interview experience for students with disabilities. These interviews were completed with real-time employees of Acrisure. This activity is a great example of career preparedness because it not only allows such students to gain interview experience, but the Acrisure employees also provided the students with constructive feedback as well. The opportunity to interview with real-time employees is also advantageous (vs mock interviewing with say a parent or teacher) because they are in the throes of corporate expectations in a way that family or teachers may not. This also highlights a key component of transition planning that is community involvement. Both Acrisure and the disability advocates are apart of the community leveraged as resources to help prepare these students for the workforce.

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Special needs students practice life skills in mock interviews

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The job fair at Project Search gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn about over 50+ potential job/career opportunities. This is a one-stop-shop for students to learn about their own interests, what works for them, what's feasible, as well as what employers are out there that are open to and accommodating for them. Many programs/educators note how difficult it is to find businesses that are willing to support the "quirks" of their students, so experiences like these showcase just how large of a support system the workforce community can be.

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Students with disabilities explore skills at job fair

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Branson High School hosted a "Job Olympics" where students showcased various job skills (cooking, stocking, interviewing, etc.) and were judged on them. Judgers were community members and employers from local businesses. By incorporating them into the event, students were able to showcase their skills to employers which could prove advantageous in securing a position in the future. As the judges were able to provide feedback, the students were also able to see their areas of strength and growth so that they can better prepare for the job market when they are ready to enter it. This is an innovative way to assess student skills as well as for them to practice, but in a low-stakes, fun environment.

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"Job Olympics" Helps Students With Disabilities Hone Life Skills