Five States Receive $39 Million in Grants to Prepare Students with Disabilities for College, Employment

  • 10/03/16

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of $39 million in grants to five states to help students with disabilities prepare for postsecondary education and competitive integrated employment. The states include: California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont.

“Students with disabilities need to have strong transition plans and goals to leave high school ready for college and careers,” said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. “These awards will help states implement evidenced-based, work-based learning models to help break down barriers to employment.”

Under the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Program, the funds will support innovative activities aimed at improving the outcomes of people with disabilities.

Each grant will finance Work-Based Learning Model Demonstrations that spotlight effective practices offering work-based learning experiences to improve post-school outcomes for students with disabilities.

The projects will take place in integrated settings under the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program, in collaboration with state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs) and other key partners within the local community.

The grants are being funded through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Following is a list of the grants:

Recipient

Amount

California Department of Rehabilitation

$8,526,988

Maine Department of Labor

$9,000,000

Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services

$7,519,895

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

$5,000,000

Vermont Agency of Human Services

$8,998,338

Total

$39,045,221

Featured

  • California District Completes Second Phase of Construction on Innovation Campus

    The Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) in Milpitas, Calif., recently announced that Phase Two of construction is complete on the MUSD Innovation Campus, according to a news release. The district is partnering with Blach Construction and Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) on the education and workforce development center, which will support Calaveras Hills High School.

  • San Diego High School Hits Construction Milestone

    Part of a whole-site modernization project at Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, Calif., recently reached a construction milestone. The final steel beam of the new classroom and student services facility was put into place, completing the building’s structural framework.

  • The Impact of School Security on Student Well-Being

    One of the most fundamental human requirements, as outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is the provision of basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. In school, this hierarchy of needs shifts to include the need for physical, mental, and emotional safety. The student mind is not biologically wired to deal with the negative impacts of unsafe environments, which implies that security has a major impact on student well-being.

  • Minneapolis Public Schools Continues Work on New Construction, Renovation Projects

    Minneapolis Public Schools in Minneapolis, Minn., is working with integrated construction management firm Kraus-Anderson on renovations to North High School that include a new Career & Technical Education (CTE) Center, according to a news release. The three major components of the project are new academic and athletic spaces, a new central student commons, and a North CTE Center.

Digital Edition