Many young people entering the workforce are not well prepared to meet the demands of a dynamic work environment. Students with disabilities benefit from work-based learning activities as much as, if not more than, their non-disabled peers. Unfortunately, many school-to-work programs in high school and cooperative education and internship programs in college do not fully include students with disabilities, a group that represents an increasing proportion of today's school population. The University of Washington conducted a three-year project to help students with disabilities head toward successful careers by using a holistic and collaborative approach. Besides the students served, the team includes staff from precollege and postsecondary educational institutions, parents, mentors, employers, and community service providers. A post-work-experience survey was developed to answer the question "What impact do work-based learning experiences have on career-related attitudes, knowledge, and skills for students with disabilities?" Participants reported considerable benefit from their work-based learning experiences. They gained motivation to work toward a career, learned about careers and the workplace, gained job-related skills, learned to work with supervisors and co-workers, and developed accommodation strategies.
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