Page 98 - EdViewptsSpring2019-web
P. 98
Work-Based Learning for
Students With Disabilities:
Partnerships With State Agencies
and Local Businesses
By Dr. Tracey Maccia, Director of Special Education, Middlesex County
Vocational and Technical Schools
John Dewey (1916) said expectations. This work-based data also indicate that workers with
that students learn best learning program focuses on: self- disabilities had significantly higher
advocacy, self-determination, work-
levels of job loss and hardship during
when learning activities place readiness, job maintenance, the recession, and have not benefit-
are explicitly connected independent living, financial planning, ted from the economic recovery as
transportation usage, state agency
much as their non-disabled counter-
to the real world. Meaningful and business partnerships. parts (Butterworth, et al, 2010). For
work-based learning experiences Labor force statistics for January 2015 people with intellectual and devel-
are unmistakably connected to the estimate that 19.6% of adults with opmental disabilities, the disparity in
real world and require teachers disabilities over the age of 16 are em- employment participation widens. The
and administrators to address the ployed, compared with 68.2% of those numbers tell the story: Students with
critical issue of integrating school without disabilities (Bureau of Labor disabilities enrolled in secondary edu-
curriculum with business and industry Statistics, February 2015). Labor force cational programs need work-based
learning experiences. Furthermore,
Educational Viewpoints -96- Spring 2019
