What if your teen could learn about the world of work from young adults with disabilities who love their jobs?
These young people have learned about networking, disability disclosure, interviewing, and job accommodations through first hand experience. They tell it like it is in the brand new “Going to Work” video series by Wisconsin Youth First.
Sharing their stories
You and your teen will meet six young people with diverse interests, perspectives, talents, and disabilities. You’ll gain valuable insights as they share their personal journeys from school to jobs they truly enjoy.
Each brief video focuses on a different employment topic.
You can download the videos for free here:
Video #1 - Meet the characters
Video #2 - Understanding your disability/ self advocacy
Video #3 - Disclosing your disability
Video #4 - Job interview skills
Video #5 - Asking for accommodations on the job
More great resources
Wisconsin Youth First hosts a “by youth for youth” website with many great resources.
Their “Going to Work” page has links to many helpful sites and free tools. Check it out here.
Your turn
Do you have experiences to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Do you know young people who would like to share their stories? We’d love to feature them in a Life After IEPs post! They can email me using the white envelope in the sidebar.
Let’s learn from one another!
If you know someone who might benefit from this post - please pass it on! Thanks!
Related posts
Here are some other posts you may find helpful on the journey to employment:
Explore careers with ‘My Next Move’
Talking to kids about disabilities
What’s the ’411 on Disability Disclosure’?
Job Accommodations under the ADA
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Do some of the videos address worker safety? Im very concerned that ALL disabled employees get the info they need (on their level & best medium -ASL, Braille, literacy levels) to do their job safely. Chemical hazards, Lick out/tagout if machinery & emergency planning are just a few. These are tough topics for even the high functioning-I worry others are not properly protected!
Laura - thanks for your comment! Worker safety is a critically important topic! The Going to Work video series focuses on self determination related to employment. Safety is not explicitly addressed. It seems important to work with businesses directly regarding the use of universal design in their safety training materials and procedures.
Your comment has heightened my curiosity - and I’ll ask around to see if I can find organizations that may be collaborating with businesses in the area of accessible safety training. I really appreciate your comment! All the best!
Hi Mary,
Me again. I wrote some time back asking permission to use some of your marvelous materials at my presentation at the International LDA Conference. You graciously granted that permission. I’m looking at the videos in the “Going to Work” series and would love to use one or two to demonstrate the “school to work” aspect of transition. I’ve registered for the organization that provided the videos, and I plan to ask them, but I wondered if you might have some insights regarding this.
Hi Kay,
The “Going to Work” videos produced by Wisconsin Youth First are in the public domain on YouTube. As an advocacy organization - Wisconsin Youth First wants these videos to be distributed far and wide - that’s why I included links to them in this post.
You can feel free to use the videos - with attribution. I’m sure Wisconsin Youth First will appreciate hearing how the videos are being used.
We’re all in this together to empower youth!