Effective transition services for students with disabilities are essential for their success in the workplace after high school.
Virginia supported employment provider Stand Up, Inc. has developed a curriculum that has been adopted in many Virginia school systems which makes the difficult transition from school to work much easier.
Stand Up calls it’s program STEP (Student Transition Employment Program.) It is a partnership between local city or county high schools and community businesses.
These transition services for students with disabilities are designed to aid participants in learning the necessary skills to become successful in a competitive workplace environment.
Through various classroom and hands-on learning experiences, the students leave the program having learned valuable social skills, interpersonal communication skills, work ethics, safety training, and many other concepts related to being in the workforce.
While transition services for students with disabilities may include information about post-secondary education, independent living, and community participation, the Stand Up, Inc program focuses entirely on the transition from school to work.
Students leave the program with real work experience to put on a resume, references, and many times, letters of recommendation. In almost every community served STEP’s business partners have made offers of employment to students that completed the program and are determined to be a good fit for the employer.
Stand Up, Inc. has learned through experience that the best way to learn something is by actually doing it, and their transition services for students with disabilities reflect that viewpoint.
Through partnerships with area agencies such as the Department of Aging and Rehabilitation Services and area schools, they have developed a variety of programs designed to assist in bridging the gap between the classroom and the workplace. Stand Up, Inc. realizes that the transition from school to work is one of life’s biggest adjustments, and it is one that they are here to help you with.
To learn more about the STEP Program contact the Director of Transition Services, at (434) 316-7140. To learn more about Stand Up, Inc. go to www.StandUp-Inc.com or email us at [email protected]
