CECY: Californias Collaborative Approach to Increasing Employment of Youth and Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

2018

Olivia Raynor
[email protected]
310-794-1141

California has come a long way since the creation of the California Employment Consortium for Youth and Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CECY). At its start in 2011 there was no Employment First (EF) policy, California had the second highest unemployment rate in the nation at 11.8%. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) were neither seeking work, nor employed, but rather the vast majority upon completion of high school were in segregated day programs. This was in contrast to an expressed desire to work by individuals with IDD. Using a collaborative leadership model, CECY members focused on: creating policy change; developing a display of employment data; identifying promising practices at local levels; assessing parent and educators expectations for employment and needs for resources; and including the voice of advocates with IDD.

Competitive integrated employment, Employment, Individuals with disabilities, Transition, California

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals Published/In Press

Professionals

[email protected]

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