Finding jobs for disabled students focus of study

High schools in five Indiana cities will participate in a study to see if having job specialists and other resources helps students with disabilities find work.

Indiana University's Center on Community Living and Careers will use a five-year, $2.4 million federal grant to test a team approach called the Indiana School-to-Work Collaborative. It will be tested in Bedford, Evansville, Indianapolis, Logansport and Marion.

Principal investigator Teresa Grossi said the study will examine whether schools with embedded employment resources and a collaborative approach can produce better jobs for students with disabilities.

She said the study will look at the number and types of jobs, average wages, and the number of hours students work after they leave school, and whether the students and their families are connected to support services.