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The Governor’s State Workforce Investment Board Youth Council is supporting a statewide GED Initiative. You have been identified as a person who clearly understands the economic needs of our state, and the importance of a competitive workforce. Prior to launching the Initiative, two regional promotional sessions have been scheduled to discuss the economic impact of high school dropouts and the importance of statewide support for the GED Initiative. At each meeting, we will discuss how every community can play an active role in reaching out to local youth to bring them back into the education pipeline and open the doors to further education and career opportunities. The first session is: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 Hampton Inn – 5110 Southgate Billings, MT 8:30 am – 4:00 pm AGENDA | FACT SHEET The second session is: Thursday, December 16, 2010 War Bonnet Inn – 2100 Cornell Ave Butte, MT8:30 am – 4:00 pm AGENDA | FACT SHEET Bringing representatives from various agencies together to prepare for the Initiative launch will ensure that we have a successful campaign and Montana has the credentialed workforce necessary to move our state forward. A recent study showed Montana’s dropout rate among students 16 to 19 years old was 9% - the sixth highest rate in the nation. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Carol Flynn at cflynn@mt.gov. Additionally, please feel free to forward this invite to anyone you feel would be interested and can assist with the Initiative.

Transition is proving especially difficult for those with autism as compared to other disabilities, with most on the spectrum struggling to move into the workforce or additional schooling. Research published Monday indicates that in the first two years after high school more than half of those with autism did not work or attend school, a lower rate of participation than any other disability group studied. The situation improved somewhat with time, yet more than six years after leaving high school some 35 percent of those with autism still had no work or further education.

This is the first in a three part series by Colleen M. Feldman, who contracted polio in 1941, just prior to her 13th birthday. In this post, she describes her childhood & teen years living with polio and her rehabilitation. The next two posts in the series will address her experiences later in life as a wife and mother with a disability raising three children, and eventually entering the workforce. Mrs. Feldman brings a unique perspective to Disability.Blog, having lived with a disability more than 50 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law.

Students with disabilities face several longstanding challenges accessing services that may assist them as they transition from high school into postsecondary education or the workforce—services such as tutoring, vocational training, and assistive technology. Eligible students with disabilities are entitled to transition planning services during high school, but after leaving high school, to receive services that facilitate their transition they must apply as adults and establish eligibility for programs administered by multiple federal agencies. Students with disabilities may face delays in service and end up on waitlists if these programs are full. In addition, while all five states GAO contacted have taken steps to coordinate their transition services and assist families with the transition process, officials said that it is still difficult for students and their parents to navigate and for providers to coordinate services across different programs. Officials and parents GAO spoke with also noted a lack of sufficient information or awareness of the full range of service options available after high school on the part of students with disabilities, parents, and service providers. In addition, state and local officials said students with disabilities may not be adequately prepared to successfully transition to life after high school. This may be due, in part, to limited opportunities to engage in vocational and life skills training or obtain work experience while in school.

Brown, 44, of Billings, is a paraplegic, substitute teacher and example for disabled people in the workforce. On this Tuesday, he’s headed to class to read to students about dragonflies and metamorphosis.

In 2004, Sonne quit his job at a telecom firm and founded Specialisterne (Danish for "Specialists"), an IT consultancy that hires mostly people with autism-spectrum disorders. Its nearly 60 consultants ferret out software errors for companies like Microsoft and Cisco Systems. Recently, the firm has expanded into other detail-centered work—like keeping track of Denmark's fiber-optic network, so crews laying new lines don't accidentally cut old ones.