Reframing the Disability Lens to Increase the Economic Stability
Of Youth and Families
Webinar 3: Power of Education to Move the Needle and Family Engagement
Tools and Resources
Webinar Three Presenters Bio’s
Tools You Can Use
These tools are for you to use and adapt to meet your own planning needs to align and coordinate with other systems to truly improve outcomes for these young people – who are most at-risk to face lifetime of dependency on public benefits.
Parent Information Template
Discussion Questions
• Why it is important for children and youth who are being served by social services to participate in IEP/Transition Planning?
• How can we ensure front line staff are supporting children, youth and guardians/families to engage in IEPs and the Transition Plan and accessing Pre ETS?
• What about kids who fall through the cracks?
• What next steps might we pursue, and what else is needed in terms of technical assistance or other support to move forward on these in your states?
• What other cross agency strategies can be used to engage families and youth?
• How do partner agencies maintain engagement when making linkages to other services?
Resources You Can Use
The resource below provides further information for you and your team to use to build your system and services to more effectively assist young people with disabilities aged 14-24 and their families to successfully transition out of the K-12 education into post secondary education or work.
Supporting Students with Disabilities and Families in Navigating and Achieving Student Educational Success
This fact sheet is intended to help social services staff understand how schools support students with disabilities, in order to support parents and youth to get the maximum benefits from education and to advocate on their behalf.
Parent Training Centers
Every state has at least one Parent Training and Information Center. These centers provide free information and training to families of kids from birth to age 26 who have a disability. They can also provide information and training to workers supporting families of kids with disabilities in poverty as well as kids in foster care with disabilities. To locate one visit:
https://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
Before Age 18
If you are a teen with a disability or someone close to a teen with a disability, this site can help you explore and prepare for the future.
https://beforeage18.org/
o Youth Transition Guide
o Family Advocacy Modules
o Self-Advocacy Modules
Sample Postcard from MD: I do not have this one
Need an introduction to WI PROMISE
Wisconsin PROMISE Video Stories available at:
Wisconsin PROMISE cost-benefit analysis and sustainability framework. (Anderson et al., 2019)
https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr191043
Materials from WI family advocacy: Community Outreach
• Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education Training & Support (WI-FACETS) https://wifacets.org/
• Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative (WSPEI) https://wspei.org/
• Parent to Parent of Wisconsin https://p2pwi.org/
• Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/cyshcn/index.htm
• Wisconsin Community Action Programs (WISCAP) http://wiscap.org/
• Local Community Programs (some examples)
1. YMCAs
2. Boys and Girls Clubs
3. Our Next Generation https://ongkids.org/
4. Running Rebels https://runningrebels.org/
5. Urban Underground https://www.urbanunderground.org/
6. Community Centers and Churches