3.3: Adult Learners and Individuals with Disabilities

Prepare adult learners and individuals with disabilities for higher education, employment, and productive lives.

Other Information:

Bureau of Labor Statistics projections indicate that 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs will require education beyond high school and 40 percent of all new jobs will require at least an associate’s degree. As new jobs require increasing levels of proficiency in reading and mathematics, problem solving, teamwork, and communication skills, more adults without a bachelor’s degree will need both access to basic education programs and admission to community college certificate and degree programs. The role of adult education as a bridge to further education and training is central to the Department's vision. As part of the Secretary's higher education initiatives, the Department will work to transform adult education programs to include transition services that enable graduates to prepare for, enter, and succeed in postsecondary education. This ongoing process will require new forms of instruction, improved services, and collaborative relationships with other agencies and organizations. Individuals with disabilities continue to experience high rates of unemployment and underemployment. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) plays a key role in helping these individuals prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment and lead productive lives. The Department will continue to support and monitor research leading to the development of interventions that support health and physical function, participation in and integration into the community, and employment of individuals with disabilities. The Department will work with states to identify practices that improve outcomes, to provide resources and technical assistance to enhance service effectiveness, and to increase the economic self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities. Complementing the work of state VR agencies, the Department will increase access to new and recycled assistive technology that gives students and employees with disabilities a greater competitive edge in a knowledge-based economy. Furthermore, the Department will work toward increasingly successful transitions of students with disabilities to employment and higher education. Strategy 1. Fund a national initiative that will develop expertise in providing support and outreach to state and local education systems to improve outcomes for out-of-school youth. Research suggests that more adult education providers need to partner with community and four-year colleges, education policymakers, and employers to certify that out-of-school youths have obtained the skills they need to succeed in college. The Department will support “GED College Readiness” to identify and support demonstration sites that help out-of-school youths obtain general equivalency diploma credentials, thus providing expanded secondary education services that promote college readiness. Strategy 2. Support a project to develop career pathway demonstration models in local sites, extending current secondary-postsecondary models to the adult basic education system. The emerging career pathways models (a coherent, articulated sequence of rigorous academic and technical course work leading to an associate’s degree, industry-recognized certificate, or bachelor’s degree) show great promise for adult students who lack the foundational skills to enter the workforce or the two-year college system. The development, implementation, and maintenance of pathway partnerships among adult basic education providers, postsecondary institutions, and the private sector will lead to increased access to postsecondary opportunities for low-skilled adults. Strategy 3. Implement a system used to monitor state VR agencies to improve performance. The Department will implement a new monitoring protocol that will emphasize the use of data and technical assistance to improve state VR agency performance. Monitoring will be linked closely to goals set forth in state plans. The Department will use this process to align monitoring findings and other data with discretionary grant investments to test and evaluate models that can be implemented by states to increase successful outcomes. Strategy 4. Strengthen technical assistance to state VR agencies through improved use of data, dissemination of information, and solidified partnerships. The Department will: improve the collection, analysis, and display of data to assist states in identifying areas in need of performance improvement; expand the quality and timeliness of technical assistance through the use of information technology, a team of subject experts, and other available resources; create strategic public/private partnerships with employers and other organizations to increase the availability of resources that assist individuals with disabilities to achieve employment; continue to strengthen relationships with federal partners to coordinate services; connect local and national employers to VR professionals to improve training and job placement; and expand the national network of assistive technology reuse to increase access to assistive technology for enhanced employment opportunities.

Stakeholder(s):

• Adult Learners


• Individuals with Disabilities

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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