Future Planning

National

Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism

A consortium of organizations with the goal of increasing both private and public support specifically for adults with ASD. AFAA's website has more information about their goals, resources and news, as well as links to an active Facebook page.

Autism After 16 

A website for individuals with ASD and the families and professionals who support them. It includes extensive information about transition, postsecondary life, employment, housing, finance, health, and more.

Autism Speaks highlights stories about employees with ASD and testimonials from their employers in their Autism in the Workplace section.

Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)

A nonprofit organization run by and for Autistic people. ASAN is advancing the disability rights movement for those with ASD. The organization organizes local chapters, resources, and several projects, including Autism Campus Inclusion and the Autistic Leaders Project.

Adult Policy Brief

Information brief prepared by the KY Autism Training Center - Fast Facts about Guardianship, Fast Facts on Special Needs Trusts, Improving Outcomes for Adults with ASD's Living in Kentucky, KATC Postsecondary Education Brief, Support System Policy Brief, The Legal System in Kentucky and Autism, Transition Practices in Kentucky.

Autism Speaks

The nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, has recently published several valuable resources that assist families on the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The Transition Tool Kit and the Transition Information Timeline in Kentucky can be used by families and providers to guide the transition to adulthood.

Transition Tool Kit
Autism Speaks Transition Information Timeline in Kentucky [PDF]

Financial Resources and Discounts for Students With Disabilities

Higher Education and Disability [PDF]

A new report from the the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled "Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students" is available. The GAO was asked to examine: what is known about the population of post-secondary students with disabilities; how post-secondary schools are supporting students with disabilities; what challenges, if any, schools face in supporting students with disabilities; and how the U.S. Department of Education is assisting schools in supporting these students.

Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do [PDF]

This new practice guide from The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recommends five specific steps that educators, administrators and policy makers can take, beginning in 9th grade, as well as the research evidence that supports these recommendations. It targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college. A project of the U.S. Department of Education, the WWC is a source of scientific evidence for what works in education.

Going to College

This new website contains information about living college life with a disability. It is designed for high school students. The site provides video clips, activities, and resources that can help them get a head start in planning for college. Video interviews with college students with disabilities offer a way to hear firsthand from students with disabilities who have been successful. Modules include activities that will help students explore more about themselves, learn what to expect from college, and equip them with important considerations and tasks to complete when planning for college.

Scholarships & Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities

The Job Accommodation Network

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace. JAN's trusted consultants offer one-on-one guidance on workplace accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment and entrepreneurship options for people with disabilities. Assistance is available both over the phone and online. Those who can benefit from JAN's services include private employers of all sizes, government agencies, employee representatives, and service providers, as well as people with disabilities and their families. (Search: autism, Asperger, ASD fact sheet)

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Work Supports and Job Retention (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Established in 1983, VCU-RRTC (Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention) has grown into one of the largest Research and Training Centers in the United States. We serve as a Center of national excellence, providing resources for professionals, individuals with disabilities, and their representatives. For over 26 years, we have been at the forefront of the supported employment and workplace supports movements. Our team of nationally and internationally renowned researchers is committed to developing and advancing evidence-based practices to increase the hiring and retention for individuals with disabilities.

A Guide for Transition to Adulthood by the Organization for Autism Research [PDF]

This new Guide, Life Journey Through Autism: A Guide for Transition to Adulthood, is designed to give parents, teachers, and other education professionals an introduction to the transition to adulthood process. Each of these topics contained herein could merit an entire volume of its own; therefore, this Guide is intended to serve as a starting point for parents and educators as they seek to learn more. Further, given the diversity of expression that constitutes the autism spectrum, it is likely that none of the information presented here will be relevant to all young adults on the spectrum (with the possible exception of the overview of laws in support of transition planning); but hopefully, most of it will be relevant to your son, daughter, student, or client. In that way, A Guide for Transition to Adulthood might best be understood as an overview of the myriad questions you will need to answer as part of the transition planning process, while recognizing the answers to those questions will be diverse and individualized, as the spectrum itself.

Think College! College Options for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Doors to colleges are opening for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in many different ways all over the country. This website is designed to share what is currently going on, provide resources and strategies, let you know about training events, and give you ways to talk to others. The information is for transition aged students as well as adults attending or planning for college. It provides resources and tools for students, families, and professionals

Vocational Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab)

The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation assists Kentuckians with disabilities to achieve suitable employment and independence. We recognize and respect the contribution of all individuals as a necessary and vital part of a productive society. We hope to assist Kentuckians with disabilities to achieve suitable employment and independence. We value the rights, merit and dignity of all persons with disabilities and the opportunity to pursue employment as an important aspect of a full and meaningful life. We value all staff, their individual talents, unique abilities and contributions to the agency's mission. And we value collaborative efforts and partnerships that support the agency's mission.

The Supported Employment Training Project

Having a job represents much more than earning a salary. Employment, including the kind of work one performs, influences one's personal identity, sense of belonging, and place in the world. Furthermore, employment represents one primary way of expressing the inherent human need to contribute – doing something that matters. Yet all too often the significance of employment for people with disabilities has been unrecognized, ignored, or minimized. Supported employment is designed to promote personalized employment opportunities for people with disabilities when they need support to: discover personal interests and contributions, find or negotiate a job that fits things they like to do and do well, become established as valued employees; and pursue job advancements. (Search: supported employment, adult employment)

Kentucky Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE)

The Kentucky Association for Persons in Supported Employment promotes the improvement of Supported Employment services for people with disabilities experiencing barriers through education, advocacy, collaboration, policy change, and elimination of barriers, empowerment, and community participation.

KY Cabinet for Workforce Development

The Department of Workforce Investment is made up of four offices. It is an agency of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The agencies in Workforce Investment are the Office for Employment and Training, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Office for the Blind, and Office for Career and Technical Education. The mission of the Department of Workforce Investment is connecting Kentucky to employment, workforce information, education and training.

The Post-secondary Inclusion Partnership

The Postsecondary Inclusion Partnership (PIP) is a model demonstration project aimed at including students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in postsecondary education. In our first year, the Project will center on ten students attending or seeking to attend Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC). In year two, we will expand to serve more students and to offer more choices in colleges and universities. Working with students, their families, professors and school administrators, PIP teams will create individualized plans to aid academic, extracurricular and social success.

The Kelly Autism Program, Western Kentucky University

Kelly Autism Program at Western Kentucky University is designed to provide services to adolescents and young adults diagnosed along the Autism Spectrum Continuum, as well as their families, while serving as a training opportunity for future professionals in a variety of disciplines. KAP has programs for middle school, high school and post-secondary participants including higher education, vocational training, and job support.

U.S. Department of Education - Office for Civil Rights

Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
Revised September 2011

Money Geeks

Your rights when looking for a job and getting reasonable accommodation under the ADA