Raising Expectations for Better Futures

NEW RESOURCES TO ENGAGE FAMILIES IN EMPLOYMENT PLANNING!

This curriculum was developed in 2020 by the Massachusetts Partnership for Transition to Employment as a resource for advocates and professionals to help families of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop and support a vision of competitive integrated employment for their loved one.

• Tier 1 is designed to be a 60 to 90 minute family training session broken up into 5 modules, with each module involving a video introduction and a follow-up discussion. The intent is to introduce family members of youth with disabilities, including those with high support needs, to possibilities for competitive employment in the community for their loved one. It should give families the opportunity to ask questions and express fears. The content is appropriate for families and caregivers with a wide age range of loved ones. This session lays the foundation for more in-depth sessions to follow.

• Tier 2 is intended to build on the information provided in Tier 1, providing more information on how families can support their loved one’s employment goal. The Modules in this Tier are designed to be presented in three separate, hour-long sessions. The target audience are families and caregivers of youth and young adults with disabilities, including those with high support needs. However, the information is also useful for self-advocates and professionals that support school to community transition and employment.

Both tiers use Charting the Life Course (CtLC), a framework and set of tools for families, individuals, and professionals to envision and chart a course toward a good life for people with disabilities. In Tier 1, participants complete a Charting the Life Course trajectory exercise. In Tier 2, the Charting the Life Course Family Perspective on Employment Portfolio is used as the main action-planning tool. To learn more about CtLC, an initiative of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, visit the Life Course Nexus at https://www.lifecoursetools.com/.

Tier 1: Work is for Everyone: Seeing Opportunities in Employment

Tier 2