CA Department of Rehabilitation
College to Career Program
The College to Career Program (C2C) is a collaboration that includes
the Department of Rehabilitation DOR), the California Community
College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), UC Los Angeles' Tarjan
Center, and the California Health Incentives Improvement Project
(CHIIP). DOR provides funding to the selected community colleges,
the CCCCO and Tarjan Center provide technical support and
conducting the research component. CHIIP provides funding for the
technical support and research component.
The C2C program is designed to provide pre-vocational and
vocational training through the provision of on-campus inclusive
instruction and other related support services for students with
intellectual disabilities (ID). These training programs will provide
instruction, job development and placement services that will result in
workforce preparation and employment of students with ID is a career
area of their choice. It is hoped the research will show that
individuals who participate in this program will have an increased rate
of finding employment, at a higher wage, and more DOR cases
closed as successful in status 26.
In the last decade there has been an increasing trend for people with
intellectual disabilities (ID) (including, autism, and epilepsy) to seek a
postsecondary education (PSE) experience as part of their transition
to employment and independent living. The growing need for PSE
has emerged partially in response to the historically poor,
employment outcomes of students with ID, as well as increased
expectations by parents and their young adults to go to college. While
there are numerous advantages to the pursuit of PSE, students with
ID who have attended any PSE are twice as likely to be employed as
those with just a high school diploma (Gilmore, Bose, & Hart, 2001).
In addition, national Rehabilitation Services Administration data
support this trend reporting that youth with ID who have had a
postsecondary education experience are 26 times more likely to be
successfully employed upon completing VR services and earn a 73%
higher weekly wage than their peers without a PSE experience
(Migliore & Butterworth, 2008). Such outcomes are therefore
achievable with proper educational preparation, employment
opportunity and support services.
Provisions of the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) (PL
110-315) address the development, expansion and affordability of
PSE. HEOA allows for students with ID to be eligible for the first time
for federal financial aid if they are enrolled in a comprehensive
transition and postsecondary program. These programs are degree,
certificate, or non-degree programs offered by an institution of higher
education to support students with intellectual disabilities who are
seeking to continue academic, career and technical and independent
living instruction to prepare for gainful employment. An additional
requirement is that the students with ID participate at least half time
with students without disabilities in such academically related
activities as credit and non credit courses, internships or work-based
training.
Both the California Community Colleges (CCC) and the DOR have
been serving students with (ID) for many years. In addition, the CCC
and DOR have a long history of managing cooperative programs
between the two agencies known as WorkAbility III programs. These
programs support successful employment outcomes for shared DOR
consumers. Some community colleges have developed vocational
skills programs for students with ID within Workability III and other
colleges have developed similar opportunities through other program
models. A number of these programs are in segregated settings.
Both agencies have experienced the change in the expressed needs
and choices of consumers/students with ID for a postsecondary
education environment to be the place where they secure their self
advocacy and self determination, improved academic, social and
functional skills, and work/career related skills.
Targeted Population include individuals with ID and Autism. College
to Career students will be recruited from the college, local high
schools and TPPs, and from active DOR cases. Each C2C contract
has been written for 3 years with a goal of adding 20 students per
fiscal year. The program is planned to have C2C consumers spend
the first 2 years on campus attending classes. They will also
participated in work experience or internships. Year 3 will be
dedicated to job search and hopefully placement in a job consistent
with the consumer's IPE goal. If placement is not made programs
can continue to work with consumers for another 2 years. At that
time a decision will be made to either transfer the consumer to the
WorkAbility III program or close the case.
Selection process - it was determined that DOR would fund 4 project
sites, 2 in the Northern DOR Districts and 2 more in the DOR
Southern Districts. Every community college in California was
notified of the proposed program and invited to sent in a Concept
Proposal to DOR. 14 proposals were received, 5 from the south and
9 from the north. It was determined that it would be best if the DA's
were involved in the selection process and they decided that to
achieve fairness the Northern DA's would review proposals and
select the 2 sites in the south and the Southern DA's would do the
same for the proposals from the North.
The 2 colleges selected from north were Santa Rosa Junior College
and Sacramento City College. The colleges selected in the south
were North Orange County Community College District and San
Diego City College District. Because there were 9 proposals from the
north and funds were available a third site was chosen from the north
- College of Alameda. Each program will receive $250,000 per year
for 3 years. If the programs produce the outcomes expected It is
hoped that funding will be available in the future to continue the
programs and the possibility of adding additional sites.