Well-Known DJ Offers Lessons To Kids Who Are Nonverbal

 Kids and teens with developmental disabilities — including some who are nonverbal — are learning to work behind a turntable, sing on a microphone and enjoy "feeling the music." Read More >

Digital tool helps students choose majors

A California college career counselor, Brian Donnelly, recently began using a digital personality test to help students choose majors. He and his colleagues also have introduced the tool to area high-schoolers to help them make course decisions as they prepare for college.  EdSurge

Tool brings coding to students with visual impairments

The nonprofit American Printing House for the Blind is expected later this year to sell Microsoft's new hands-on coding teaching tool for students with visual impairments. The Code Jumper kit reaches the fundamentals of coding by having students connect different pods representing lines of code to perform tasks that result in an audible output.  Fast Company online

Voc Rehab Doubling Down On Transition-Age Youths

Vocational rehabilitation agencies say they're serving more students with disabilities thanks to a new federal mandate, but they're still falling short of fully meeting their obligations. Read More >

Nontraditional school supports students with autism

An Indiana high school created by Purdue University for students not succeeding in a traditional setting has attracted students with autism. The school offers project-based learning; flexible, student-selected scheduling; opportunities for students to take a break when needed; and automatic enrollment in Purdue Polytechnic Institute upon graduation. The Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Ill.)

Study: Apprentices have good job prospects

Apprenticeship programs could help more people land middle-class jobs, an analysis finds. The report considered 23 million job postings and identified 74 occupations that offer well-paying jobs that could be filled by apprentices without college degrees.    The Hechinger Report

Problems Plague Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation is supposed to help people with disabilities become independent, but federal data indicates over 800,000 deemed eligible for such services received no assistance. Read More >

College or Training Programs - How to Decide

This NPCTE tip sheet outlines a number of strategies youth and families can use to explore work and education options open to youth after graduation. These ideas can help youth set specific summer goals of their own, such as visiting the campuses of schools they might want to attend in the future; enrolling in a pre-college program for high school students the summer before or after their senior year; or scheduling an appointment at their new school's Disability Resource Center. http://www.pacer.org/transition/resource-library/publications/NPC-26.pdf

Voc Rehab Often Leads To Low-Paying Jobs For Those With Autism

Most people with autism who receive vocational rehabilitation services exit the program with a job, a new report finds, but such employment is typically part-time and low paid.  https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/03/voc-rehab-low-paying-autism/22264/

How CTE could improve graduation rates for students with disabilities

Policymakers should consider career and technical education programs as a viable option for improving outcomes of students with disabilities because they often thrive under such programs, education researchers Todd Grindal, Shaun M. Dougherty and Thomas Hehir write in this blog post. They highlight a recent report by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that showed students with disabilities had a 70% higher chance of graduating from career and technical education programs than traditional high schools. The Huffington Post/The Blog (8/19) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/todd-grindal/for-students-with-disabil_b_3767522.html