Thanks to significant funding, opportunities for people with disabilities may begin to expand. The Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) announced that it would award nearly $199 million to 20 model demonstration projects across the country. All 20 projects are dedicated to the economic self-sufficiency of children and youth with disabilities by creating systemic approaches to enhance post-school outcomes.
The funding will go to the Pathways to Partnerships innovative model demonstration project, an initiative that supports collaborative partnerships between state vocational rehabilitation agencies, state and local educational agencies, and federally funded centers for independent living. These programs help individuals with disabilities seamlessly transition to life after high school, preparing them for independent living, competitive integrated employment and community integration. Pathways to Partnerships is the largest discretionary grant ever administered by RSA.
“The Department is committed to providing children and youth with disabilities the support they need to access self-advocacy training, career pathways and independent living,” said Glenna Wright-Gallo, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which oversees RSA. “The Pathways to Partnerships will bridge gaps from school to adult life, independent living and career success… This investment will not only require state and local agencies to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities by finding innovative ways of working together, but it will also look to unlock post-school and career success for those individuals.”
The Department awarded recipients of the Pathways to Partnership grants the full funding for a five-year project period—meaning successful applicants receive all project funds at the beginning of year one. Award recipients will pilot, refine and implement their proposed projects through the five-year project period while collecting and analyzing project data.
The funding was dispersed as follows:
- Alaska Department of Education and Early Development: $10,000,000
- Arkansas Department of Education/ Division of Elementary and Secondary Education: $9,913,236
- Colorado Labor & Employment, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: $14,116,234
- Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services/Bureau of Rehabilitation Services: $10,000,000
- Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency: $10,588,912
- Idaho State Department of Education/Special Education: $9,798,372
- Illinois Department of Human Services/ Division of Rehabilitation Services: $10,000,000
- Kansas Department of Education/Division of Learning Services: $8,442,103
- Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Early Learning: $9,942,934
- Louisiana Department of Education: $10,000,000
- Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: $7,632,256
- Maryland State Department of Education/ Rehabilitation Services: $9,989,423
- New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education: $8,667,855
- New Mexico Public Education Department, Office of Inclusive Education: $9,943,500
- Nevada Department of Education/Office of Inclusive Education: $9,964,894
- Oklahoma State Department of Education: $9,992,898
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry/Office of Vocational Rehabilitation: $9,990,688
- South Carolina Department of Education: $9,992,013
- Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living/Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired: $10,000,000
- Wyoming Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: $10,000,000
Additionally, this announcement builds on a key component of the Department’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative to support individuals from underserved communities, ensure every student has a pathway to college or a career, and improve transition services for students with disabilities.
