Helping Your 11th or 12th Grader with Career Preparation and “Fit” - Página 2

Stay Current on Your Teen’s Transition Plan

Many teens with LD move directly into the job market after high school because they don’t believe they’ll make it in postsecondary education. Yet it’s clear that any training or college classes increase a young person’s chances for a good job at an acceptable salary. Especially in an economic downturn when many people are competing for jobs, your teen’s competitive chances improve greatly when he or she can include postsecondary education on a resume. Educational opportunities after high school can take many forms besides the traditional four years of college: one- or two-year programs, technical schools, trade schools, internships and apprenticeships, online classes, work-study arrangements. Colleges frequently have services for students with learning disabilities. There may be local companies or organizations offering paid employment opportunities for people with LD, including on-site job coaching. You can help your teen see what’s out there.

If your teen has an IEP, the school is required to keep you informed about any modifications to your teen’s transition plan. Be sure you and your teen attend all IEP meetings. If, for example, your teen has decided to pursue postsecondary education in some form, junior year is critical. It’s the time when your teen needs to find out the admission requirements to schools she’s interested in. That information, along with input from you, her IEP team, and other concerned adults, will help her insure that her transition plan includes the program of study expected by colleges or trade schools.

Legal Protections

It’s crucial for you and your teen to realize that when he leaves high school he is no longer eligible for the services guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The protections of IDEA disappear, and your teen will have to seek help on his own.

Laws exist to protect adults with disabilities: Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Both can protect your teen from discrimination in employment, but these laws have restrictions:

• Your teen must be “otherwise qualified” for the job he’s applying for. He must be able to perform the “essential functions” of a job, with or without accommodations.
• Employers are only required to provide “reasonable” accommodations that allow an otherwise qualified employee to do a job if the employee discloses and documents his disability. If your teen decides not to disclose his LD, his employer can fire him for poor performance, even if the problems are related to his disability.

Disclosure Requires Self-Advocacy Skills

While your teen is still in high school, talk together about the issue of self-disclosure. Unless your teen tells an employer about her disability, she isn’t eligible for legal protection against discrimination. However, many adults with LD hesitate to disclose their disability. They’re embarrassed, afraid of being seen as inferior, even retarded. (And, unfortunately, according to the 2010 Roper Poll, learning disabilities are still misunderstood.) They’re concerned that expectations for them will be lowered and their chances of advancement reduced.

Another issue is when to disclose: during the interview or after hiring? Depending on your teen’s disability and career choice, she may be able to work around her LD without officially disclosing it. For example, she might ask a coworker to proofread written work or to repeat complicated instructions. She may be able to move to a quieter work area without informing the boss.

Disclosure is a complicated issue. Your teen can’t really consider the pros and cons, however, if she lacks self-advocacy skills. Ideally, by eleventh grade, your teen understands and accepts her LD, knows her legal rights, and is able to ask for reasonable accommodations. Self-advocacy skills need to be part of your teen’s transition plan and must be practiced. The best time to practice is before high school graduation.